


May's Belated Journey

by ls2l



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Friendship, M/M, Pokemon Journey, Rivalry, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-03
Updated: 2015-11-22
Packaged: 2018-04-18 19:35:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 59,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4717928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ls2l/pseuds/ls2l
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After having abandoned her dream of becoming Top Coordinator, May is in for a surprise when Harley visits. She's hit a rough patch in her life, but he does his best to help her through it. <br/>CS, slight Penguin and Ikari, Poke, Wishful, Kalos.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own Pokemon.   
> This is also a fiction I have uploaded onto fanfiction.net

Prologue

Trying to ignore the bitter glare of the two screens before her, May sighed as she struggled to grasp the terms of her current situation. Here she was, sitting behind a dreary desk in dim office light, wondering where everything had possibly gone wrong.

When she was ten, she'd dreamed of being a Top Coordinator, not a call centre assistant who was underpaid and overworked, dealing with more complaints than she could throw her bandana at. Not that she wore it anymore. Such inappropriate attire had been stamped out of her by her supervisor, Shelly.

Her current slump was caused by a recent text she'd received from her brother on the Xtransceiver. While it was great to hear from him, it always left her feeling slightly, well, deflated. Thankfully, his message had been brief, stating that he'd returned from his most recent mission safe and sound. Having responded with a quick message reiterating her brief relief that he'd returned, she found herself once again wondering about her future.

After she'd left for her soul-searching journey through Johto, Max had considered his future whilst he studied pokémon at home with their parents. After much tribulation, he'd decided to follow the footsteps of none other than Jack Walker to become a ranger. Not only was May lucky enough to hear about all of his great journeys—note sarcasm—but she also had to worry about his overall welfare whilst he went out on these top secret missions. Sure, she had a great deal of faith in his operators, Linda, Rhythmi and Marcus, but he was still her little brother. Besides, all she got to see was the office she worked in whilst her brother was out risking his neck with the ralts they'd once encountered on their journey with Ash and Brock.

Speaking, well, thinking of those two made May's heart slump further. Brock was finally an esteemed Pokémon doctor who'd had his fair share of chances with not only Nurse Joys but also Officer Jennys. However, the last she'd heard from him, he was trying to settle down with the infamous Pike Queen Lucy, who managed to somewhat smother his infatuations with other women.

Then there was Ash, his face was all over her television. Finally he was going for the chance to be a Pokémon Master, challenging not only the Elite Four of his home region, Kanto, but hopefully the Champion, Lance. It made her heart hurt, wanting him to do well, but being afraid that his dreams would be shattered. Sure, he'd had the chance to fight Cynthia from Sinnoh, but he'd wanted to have not only his mum, but also Professor Oak bear witness to the challenge. May also had a sneaking suspicion that he'd wanted Misty, his first crush and one of their close friends, to be there to witness his coming of age. It surprised May that Iris didn't receive a personal invitation, either. Though she knew she shouldn't be, Iris was facing her own challenges with Alder a month later, meaning she'd be far too busy to support her friend in this instance.

With a heavy sigh, May considered the other friends she shared with Ash and Brock. Dawn was making quite a name for herself as a Poké Stylist, though she'd had to work with May in the call centre to make ends meet in the beginning. While May was happy for her friend who was a two time Top Coordinator, she couldn't help but feel a little jaded that even she was making a name for herself. Having said that, her designs were simply beautiful, and May couldn't wait for her friend to open her first boutique in Kalos.

Then, of course there was Serena who was making quite the name for herself in her Pokémon Showcases, even becoming the coveted top-class performer she'd longed for. May herself had voted for her younger friend to win an award on TV for a recent role. While she was pleased that her friend was doing well, it only reiterated her slump to her all the more.

That left her coordinating family. With a pain in her heart, May considered the people she'd spent her time in Johto with. Solidad, who was not only beautiful, but also graceful, talented and smart. She'd won the Top Coordinator title a few times before she, too, dropped out of the sphere. While they never discussed her reasons, May had a sneaking suspicion that Solidad hadn't wanted to become an historian, though that was her current task, all the way in Johto, helping someone called Gary. May had never pressed her friend for her reasons for leaving coordinating, knowing that her friend missed that world as much as she did.

Then there was Drew, he'd disappeared shortly after Solidad, telling Coordinator's Weekly that he was missing the thrill. While May hadn't had the faintest idea what he'd meant by that, she'd soon found herself trying to find any hint that he was still out there. To her disappointment, she'd seen a rather frivolous article of him with an unknown blonde woman, though her face was hidden from the cameras. From the images in the magazine, May had seen a new side to her rival, friend and unrequited love that she hadn't seen before. But then, she wasn't sure the first two descriptions could apply to the young man any more. At least she'd never admitted her affections to anyone, even if they'd teased her about it anyway.

Silently she mused if she even knew her friends at all. After all, two of the people she had once considered her closest friends had left the coordinating circuit without even a word to her. More surprising was that even Harley had left, of course, after he had finally won the coveted Top Coordinator title. Now, being Harley, upon declaring that he'd leave himself, he'd caused a massive scene which only he could do. He'd always added an unusual spice to life, and, even though they'd often clashed, May found herself missing the man.

Hearing her supervisor cough nearby, May grimaced slightly, acknowledging the guilt she often suppressed. After all, she'd left them behind in a whirl after Drew had finally agreed to join not only Solidad and herself, but also Harley in Sinnoh. Considering he loathed coordinators making a show of themselves and dressing up for anything, May had really considered that a stupendous triumph. It was a shame she'd had to leave shortly before the Grand Festival. Her father hadn't been well, so she'd rushed out of the region to her brother and mother's aid without a word to the two boys. What could she tell them that wouldn't distract them from the contest? Her father had been taken in a helicopter to Mauville City, courtesy of Wattson. Even now, years after the fact, she knew that her family would always be grateful to the man, his readiness to help them had saved her father's life.

Either way, she had suppressed her own desires, and agreed to take care of things at home, not only the gym. Being a gym leader wasn't just taking on challengers, it meant ensuring the safety of one's people, as well as helping them. That was how she'd missed her chance at being Top Coordinator and found herself in the rut she was now. She couldn't blame her father, who'd only just recovered a year ago after being in and out of hospital with her terrified mother following him wherever he went. He'd been ill for years, and May had realised it after the first year had passed that his recovery might take longer than initially anticipated. So, May had bitten the bullet and done the unthinkable. It took May all of her resolve, but she'd managed to demand her brother embark on his journey, trying not to make her pained jealousy obvious. After all, someone had to take responsibility of their family's affairs, and she wasn't about to lie down and let her brother take that role. She was the eldest sibling, it was her duty, not his.

Seeing the screen above her flashing red, she sighed and grabbed her headset. A call had been waiting for two minutes and her break was almost over. From the other side of the room, she could hear Shauna from Dewford Town, having left the gym there under unexplained circumstances, apologising on the phone for one or another perceived slight.

With a soft sigh, May muttered, 'here we go.'

With the press of a button, she made herself available for the call just as her supervisor, Shelly, snapped, 'Someone take that call, please!'

'Welcome to Rockson's Boutique, how may I help you?' May tried her best to sound optimistic on the phone. You never know, it might help convince someone not to yell at her.

'Who am I speaking to?' An effeminate voice snapped angrily down the line, surprising the young woman slightly.

With a heavy sigh, May quickly suppressed her previous optimism as she muttered into her headpiece, 'my name is May, how may I help you today?'

'May, it's you! Finally, I'm talking to you! Do you know who I am?' The person's elated cries turned furious faster than she could blink. With a wince, May quickly pressed down the volume on her headset, wanting to salvage her hearing. She was rapidly approaching the last dredges of her cumbersome shift and really wasn't in the mood for dealing with yet another irate customer. After all, she could earn better money in the fast food joint around the corner from their prestigious office.

'No, I do apologise, but I do not know who you are. I speak to many people and cannot guarantee I will remember individuals. I do apologise for this,' May responded, trying her best not to roll her eyes at her two screens. From beside her, she could see one of the women from their email team glance at her in disbelief.

'Do you have any idea who I am, hon?' The person snapped, their tone becoming quite threatening, and in an eerily familiar manner. It sent an all too familiar shiver of fear down May's spine, though she'd learnt to ignore her emotions. After all, her previous cheer had been stamped out by the people she dealt with every day.

'No?' May responded, though her tone was hesitantly questioning. Just her luck, her shift finished in five minutes and she had a disillusioned diva on the phone. Even worse, she'd been scolded for taking her break so late during her nine hour shift despite taking calls from people who had been demanding to speak to a supervisor, which she clearly wasn't. Frankly, she was earning base pay and had no incentive to stay back to process additional work she would not get paid for. Especially when she knew how many six digit sales were being processed as she was talking to this deranged fool. Sometimes, her newfound anger surprised her. Other times, she relished in it. Life had not dealt her a fair hand, and boy was she sick of it.

At least she was seeing Brendan this weekend. Her childhood friend offered her many a positive insight and reminded her quite frequently that laughter was the best medicine. Sure, as a kid she'd had the teensiest of crushes on him, but then she'd met Ash, who'd led her to Drew. After meeting both of them, nothing was ever the same again. Where Ash was like an older brother to her, Drew was an irreplaceable figure in her life.

'Listen, my favourite little gingerbread cookie, you may think that I have simply forgotten you, but that is not the case! When are you going to get out of that abysmal place and join us back on the circuit? We're all waiting for you to get your cute little patootie back into gear! Now stop hesitating and get on it, girlfriend!' The voice scowled, almost making May fall out of her chair in surprise.

Quietly, May squeaked, 'H-Harley?'

'Finally, sweetpea, I thought you'd never get it! Now, I'm in Sootopolis City too, so you are coming out with me, and you do not have a say in it! I'll meet you at that quaint little café that serves all day breakfast by the harbour. I'll go powder my nose while you finish up. See you soon, my patootie!' Harley's voice cheered notably before promptly hanging up, leaving May speechless on the other end of the line before recalling to log out of everything and rushing out of the office, ignoring the calls of her angered supervisor for her abrupt departure.


	2. Chapter 1

Waiting anxiously in a crowded café, May glanced around at her surroundings. Sure, she had what was arguably some of the best seats, with a window overlooking the harbour, but it was also one of the noisiest. However, if it meant that Harley found her quickly, then so be it. After all, a little part of her was dying to see the extravagant man. She’d missed him, even if she couldn’t admit it to him. 

How he’d found her in Sootopolis was beyond her, unless Solidad had told him. Considering she’d begged the woman to secrecy after finally acknowledging her disappointment in her current state, May knew the woman wouldn’t betray her pleas without good reason.

Recalling the dark façade the eclectic man had sported years ago, it saddened her to realise that this was the first time she’d see the extravagant man in years. Whilst they’d bonded quite a bit over their time in Johto, she still wasn’t too sure how to react to his strong persona, especially with the years that had passed since she had last encountered the man. She hadn’t meant to lose touch with the two men in their little coordinating family, it had just happened. 

Sure enough, a shady character sauntered through the crowd, parting it effortlessly. People seemed to fear him slightly, though the figure didn’t seem to notice. He was dressed in a dark purple suit that May soon noticed resembled a Banette. With a weary grimace, she soon realised that the man had ditched his Cacturne suit for a purple version of the intimidating grey pokémon. At least his hat looked like a sleeping hat May had had as a young child. It didn’t mean much, but maybe she could steal his hat to sleep in it at night to reminisce her childhood. 

‘Oh, May, hon! It’s so good to see you!’ The profligate man called before skipping to her counter. True to his style, he seemed oblivious of the stares he was receiving from the baffled patrons of the café. 

‘Hi Harley,’ May grinned, finding herself unusually eager to see the man. 

‘It’s been so long, I thought you’d died until Solidad corrected me! Even poor Drew feels hopeless without you! Though that really shouldn’t surprise anyone, when you think about it,’ Harley cried, his large green eyes pouring out giant Totodile tears as his bottom lip trembled. 

Knowing Harley, May couldn’t be quite sure as to the sincerity of his tears, but she felt flattered all the same.

‘Harley, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have disappeared quite so suddenly,’ May whispered, staring at the wooden table before her, her shame at losing touch with one of her closest friends filling her. She’d had many dreams about this meeting over the years, had fantasised about various apologies, but none of them had ever seemed good enough to her. 

‘Hon, why did you disappear? I mean, we both know that after all I’ve done to you, that I can’t really scold you, but it made me feel like I was scum. First you disappear, then Solidad. I can preach all I want about my pain, but that doesn’t even begin to compare to how Drew must have felt,’ Harley muttered, crossing his arms as his tearful act disappeared in a flash. His countenance was disapproving, but May could see the concern flashing in his gaze as he took a seat opposite her.

‘Well, I’m sorry I never told you, but I didn’t really know how to. Over the years, I wanted to talk to both you and Drew, but I couldn’t figure out what to say. My father wasn’t well, so I had to take care of things at home. One thing lead to another, and I soon found years had passed since I last saw you all,’ May grimaced anxiously, poking her fingers together sheepishly as she tried and failed to meet the man’s gaze.

‘And that meant you couldn’t contact any of us for how many years why? Hon, we weren’t going to bite your head off, and you know it,’ Harley continued to press, his tone disbelievingly distant. He glared down at her, apparently unaffected by her sheepish display of guilt. 

Glancing at the crowd around them, May muttered, ‘I know I was in the wrong, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell you. First there was the Grand Festival, which you’d all worked so hard for. I mean, I’d told Solidad, and she lost in the third round. I was watching the whole thing, and even the reporters were saying how strange that was. She was calling me every day, worrying about not just my father, but myself and my family. The only positive thing about that fiasco was that, since I didn’t tell either you or Drew, at least I got to see you and Drew fight it off in the final round. I felt terrible knowing Solidad was so concerned for me and my family that she couldn’t even think properly to fight. I didn’t want to worry you both, and I know I shouldn’t have.’

‘And why didn’t you at least contact us once things were better? You’re not in Petalburg anymore, so things must be better, right?’ Harley scoffed, his green eyes narrowed in an unforgiving anger May was all too familiar with. 

Feeling overwhelmed, May frantically sought her mind for a reasonable excuse. Thankfully, a shadow fell on their table, putting a halt on their conversation and buying May some feeble time. 

‘Hi, may I take your order please?’ A cheerful waitress asked, her black hair pulled back into an elegant bun which failed to mask her beautiful, curly hair. 

‘I’ll have the Benedict Breakfast Supreme and a water, please. I can’t talk for the annoying, pipsqueak twerpette before me,’ Harley growled, his voice becoming uncharacteristically deep as he sent an ugly glare at May.

Wincing at his clear venom, May smiled nervously up at the young woman, ‘Oh, ummm, I’ll have the Miltank steak—well done—and an oran berry drink please.’

The waitress’ gaze flickered between the two before she pursed her lips and left to process their orders on her system. From her countenance, May had a sneaking suspicion that she did not appreciate either herself or Harley as patrons of the café, though May was too tired from her shift to mention anything to her companion. 

‘They’ve been better for about a year now, but I’m still worried about leaving for another region,’ May muttered, meeting the purple haired man’s gaze as she tried to suppress her tears.

‘Hon, your parents are strong enough to look after themselves. Besides, they have friends near home, no? Do you honestly think that they’d want to see you waste your life away for worry of them?’ Harley frowned, analysing his nails with feigned nonchalance.

‘I suppose I could always ask Steven to look in on them, and Brendan as well,’ May muttered, tapping her finger on her lips thoughtfully.

‘Boys? Who are these boys?’ Harley frowned, focusing his intense gaze upon her, making her feel quite uncomfortable at being analysed so blatantly.

‘W-well, Brendan and I have been friends since we were in diapers. He’s like the older brother I never had, and he’s about as annoying as one too,’ May chuckled nervously, though it sounded fake to even her own ears. She’d never seen this protective side of Harley before, and it made her feel a little nervous.

When the man before her didn’t respond, arching an expectant eyebrow at her, she knew he wasn’t impressed with her response. Knowing he was waiting for further information on the other man, she continued in a quiet voice, ‘As for Steven, he’s my ex.’

‘Hang on, pipsqueak, when did you get the all clear to date anyone?’ Harley glowered, a menacing expression filling his face.

With a nervous chuckle, May responded, ‘When my dad was in hospital and I found out Drew was with some blonde. I thought it was best for me to get my act together too.’

‘Hon, please don’t tell me you’re talking about those rumours started by The Coordinator!’ Harley laughed, all anger clearly forgotten as May sat before him, her expression stunned. 

‘Ummm,’ May muttered, her thoughts reeling though she had no response. Finally she saw the waitress return, and felt grateful when their drinks were brought out before them. 

Taking a sip of the calming oran berry juice, its mild flavour tingling her tongue, May responded in what she hoped was a blasé tone, ‘Maybe, I don’t really remember the details.’

‘You’re a terrible liar, you know that,’ Harley blinked at her before returning to his joyous laughter, attracting the attention of some nearby patrons.

‘I never said I was good at it,’ she responded with a whine, pouting quite obviously. Changing the topic, she frowned, ‘So that means he’s not seeing anyone?’

‘About as subtle as a sledgehammer,’ Harley muttered, rolling his eyes slightly as May stared anxiously down at her lap. 

Glaring angrily down at the brunette, Harley retorted snippily, ‘Nope, he’s been waiting for the right woman, which is more than I can say for you!’ 

‘I’m sorry, I was trying to forget—never mind,’ May’s heated retort turned into a quiet murmur as she turned her attention to the café, looking for anything to distract the man.

‘What were you trying to forget?’ The man questioned with a devilish smirk that could rival his Banette’s.

Blinking, May considered telling the man that she’d tried to forget the pain caused by seeing Drew with another woman. However, knowing it would only spur the man on, she muttered, ‘My father being in hospital, of course.’

To her surprise, Harley muttered something about cookies being equally stubborn. As quickly as his expression was bitter, it became over eager again as he grinned, ‘So, you’re the only one of us who hasn’t reached the acclaimed title. When will our little family go back into the circuit?’

Once again, May was surprised by the turn of the conversation. With a frown, she muttered, ‘Harley, I can’t.’

‘Yes you can, and you will. What’s holding you here excluding your suppressed memories of Drew?’ The man snapped back as the waitress brought their dinner. He sent a furtive glance at the view of the harbour and glowered, ‘This place is a more technologically advanced version of Slateport, and we all know it wants to be a mix of that and LaRousse City, which oh so conveniently is his home town. Now, talk to me.’

There was an awkward pause whilst May waited for the woman to disappear back through the noisy tables. 

Once they were safely isolated from unwanted ears, she responded softly, ‘I’m scared of it, Harley. I’m out of practice and too old to just go on another journey. Besides, I’ve got responsibilities now, like my apartment. It’s loaned against my name and I can’t just abandon it.’

‘Nonsense, you’re perfectly fine the way you are. Besides, hon, that’s why I’m here, to help you. And about that apartment of yours, you can find someone to hire if for sure; Sootopolis is a prime location. What about Steven or Brendan?’ Harley waved off in a nonchalant manner, his mouth stuffed to the brim with egg.

‘Steven already has an apartment in Sootopolis, his best friend is the gym leader here. As for Brendan, he’s always travelling the world for his father’s research. I can’t spring this on either of them, it’s not fair,’ May shrugged slightly, really hoping that she found an excuse, any excuse, to stay safe in Sootopolis, even if her job made her miserable. She didn’t want to fail again. 

‘Steven is friends with Juan?’ Harley blinked slightly, a bit of egg falling from his mouth.

Wincing at the sight, May cut up a part of her Miltank meat before responding, ‘They’re probably friends, I’m not too sure. Juan’s taken extended leave from the gym because of an ongoing injury he received fighting Team Magma. Wallace is taking his place until he has been fully reinstated by the League.’

‘Wallace? As in the Wallace from the Wallace Cup?’ Harley almost shrieked, jumping slightly out of his chair in surprise.

Wincing, May almost dropped her steak before she glared at her companion to be silent, not wanting to attract any unwanted attention from the patrons around them. After all, Harley might not live here but she did.

‘Yes, they’re quite good friends, what of it?’ May frowned in response, hoping to find any other topic of conversation, though her brain gave her none. Why would her brain fail her now? Why? Didn’t it remember the melodramatic nature of the man before her?

‘Hon, what is Steven’s surname?’ Her friend frowned, his green eyes narrowed in a dangerous anger.

Sheepishly, May mumbled, ‘Stone.’

‘Are you kidding me?! Why would you pass up the chance to be with him?! I’d want the chance to be with him, the man’s a dream boat!’ Harley hollered angrily, his egg flying out of his mouth, almost in May’s food if she hadn’t reacted so quickly to pull it away from his firing range, under the table.

‘Man, if I can’t have him, give me Wallace, beautiful Wally!’ Harley drooled, apparently unaware of the many eyes upon them.

‘I’m so sorry for my friend, he’s quite flamboyant, I do apologise!’ May called, her face flushed a deep red to rival a tamato berry as she shoved her plate back on the table and waved her hands before her in a flabbergasted manner. 

‘So, why’d you end it?’ Harley questioned, ignoring the slowly increasing conversation ebbing through the room.

Swallowing her chips, May muttered, ‘We both realised that we weren’t meant to be. Sure, we still care for each other, but we’re really good friends now, nothing more.’

‘What about Wally? Had a chance with him?’ Harley wiggled his eyebrows slightly.

Considering her ill friend by that name, May muttered, ‘Can you please not call Wallace Wally? I have a close friend by that name and the two are absolutely nothing alike.’

‘You know what I mean!’ The man snapped irritably. As quickly as his volatile temper rose, he deflated, ‘I wonder, when did you become so acquainted with the influential in Hoenn, twerpette?’

‘Well, I was a Gym Leader for quite a few years; that gave me quite a chance to meet them. Besides, Steven himself came with Wallace to inspect how I was doing with the gym. We got talking and found we had a lot in common,’ May shrugged as she began to focus on her plate once more.

‘Interesting,’ Harley mused as he considered the way she scoffed down her meal. With a devious smirk, he questioned, ‘So how soon will either of them inhabit your apartment?’

‘What?’ May choked on the last of her steak, struggling to breathe in as the flavour of Topo berry, Rindo berry and Shuca berry assaulted not only her tongue, but also her throat.

‘May, I’ve seen the way you are with most boys, and have heard quite a few rumours. Surely you’ve noticed the way most of them would do anything for you soon after meeting you? I mean, hon, you’re gorgeous,’ Harley laughed in disbelief, apparently unaware of May’s stubborn innocence.

‘Ummm what?’ May questioned, her sapphire eyes glaring with unspoken offence at Harley’s suddenly amused expression.

‘I’ll take that as a no. So the rumours about Timmy Grimm and Syd for starters have clearly been forgotten by you. Hon, go call Steven, he’ll find someone for in your apartment sooner than I can take a tour of it. You could probably earn quite a bit of money from renting it out at an increased rate as well,’ Harley grinned at her, ignoring her disbelieving expression.

‘What are you talking about? I’m not renting my apartment out!’ The younger of the two glowered back, slamming her hands on the table.

‘Hon, I have an indefinite amount of free time, and I will follow you home if I have to. You are joining me on this journey, whether you like it or not. Now, we can do this the easy way—you finding someone to look after your place—or I can drag you kicking and screaming by your hair out of this overpriced city and your apartment will be left desolate, a burden on your wallet,’ Harley lectured as he drank his water, his green eyes flashing with an anger May knew all too well.

With a heavy sigh, she responded, ‘and what about my job? My family?’

‘Your family will understand, after all, your father was the one who contacted Solidad whilst I was visiting her stating that he wanted you to find yourself on another journey. It didn’t take much time for me to find out where you were and then to come here,’ Harley smirked once more, his tone as smug as ever.

‘And my job?’ May whispered, gripping onto the straws of desperation. She knew as well as he did that her job left her unfulfilled, resenting humanity and loathing herself.

‘Face it, hon, it’s a thankless job where all you receive is abuse and peanuts. Is this really what you wanted your future to be like as a child?’ Harley responded, once again intent upon his nails. 

Hearing the man who’d manipulated her as a young girl reiterate the questions she’d been asking herself, May promptly burst into tears, her shoulders shaking as she hid her face behind her brunette bangs. All of her childhood dreams and hopes had been crushed before she could attain them. Even now, she wasn’t sure she could go back to coordinating—her pokémon no longer fought with the beauty and elegance she’d once strived for. Instead, she’d been forced to focus on overall power, only reiterating beauty sometimes. 

Feeling something warm around her shoulders, May glanced up to see the blurry outline of her friend wrapping his arms around her. 

‘Harley, I’m so sorry! I say it every day to people who deserve it much less than you do, and I can’t say it enough, but I’m sorry,’ May whispered in a strangled voice before rubbing her head into the crook of his neck. The action of just sitting with a friend and crying out her misery made her feel terrible, but his comforting arms around her made her feel strangely safe.

‘It’s ok, sweetpea, don’t think anything of it. All is forgiven, and I’m sure everything will work out all right in the end. After all, you were only considering everyone else around you. However, if you don’t take the chances offered to you, you’ll never leave your rut,’ Harley whispered in her ear before kissing the top of her head. He rubbed her back slightly to appease her, probably hoping to discourage her from more tears. 

With a slight shake of her head, May muttered, ‘Ok, I’ll go wherever you want. Let me make some calls in my apartment.’

‘Do you think I’m letting you go home by yourself in such a state?’ Harley scowled before pulling his wallet out of a concealed pocket and flicking some money onto the table.

‘Let’s get out of here, hon,’ Harley grinned before pulling her out of the café.

The younger of the two didn’t notice a figure in darkness watching them go, their hands in unseen pockets as she called directions to her apartment out for her friend as he rushed ahead.


	3. Chapter 2

Two mornings later, May was all set to go. She’d made a few calls here and there and now everything was sorted. She’d left messages for most of her friends, apologising to a few who’d planned on visiting her on a whim. It made her feel all the more special knowing that she had friends like Serena, or Misty, who’d advised her they were planning on visiting, though would find alternate arrangements since she was leaving. 

Too excited to feel tired, the young brunette silently hoped she had everything of importance. Having packed in a rush, she’d sent some of her belongings to Steven, but the most returned to her home in Petalburg. 

Smelling the refreshing, salty air, May relished the freedom which soared in her heard. Sure enough, she’d followed Harley’s instructions and found herself at the harbour of Slateport, where she was meant to meet Harley. The extravagant man was, as ever, fashionably late. It made May wonder if he’d dragged Solidad or Drew along with him. She couldn’t put it past him, though she wasn’t sure how she’d react to finally being reacquainted with the latter. 

Waiting impatiently at the beach, May found herself suppressing painful memories by wondering if she was making the right choice. She’d called Brendan to apologise for leaving him so suddenly, but her red eyed friend had seemed overjoyed by her sudden departure. Apparently her family weren’t the only ones who’d been concerned about her, though Serena and Misty had managed to hide it much better than her black haired friend.

Placing a cautious hand on her pokéballs, May once again ticked off everything she may need on this journey. It had been so long that she’d had to consult Brendan, who had laughed at her for having been so uncertain as to what to bring. Of course, for her pokémon, Blaziken was on the top of her list, but she’d had much difficulty considering the remainder. In the end, she’d chosen Munchlax, Skitty and Glaceon. She would leave her remaining pokémon with her parents simply so her mother could receive some comfort if anything happened to her father. 

Receiving a call on her Xtransceiver, May silently hoped it would be Harley. There was only so long that one could stand awkwardly on a port, not meeting anyone. With the press of a button, she put the small device to her ear, ‘Hello, May speaking.’

‘You’re lucky I have some influence over my friends, May. As of now, you have a tenant in your apartment, and quite a gracious payment too. I assume that it’ll help you fund your journey, which, by the way, is still a mystery to me,’ Steven’s smooth voice filled her ear, his irritation evident by the length of his speech. 

‘Steven, it’s great to hear from you! I can’t say this enough, but thank you so much for helping me with this! No, let me correct myself, thank you for everything over the years! You know I appreciate it more than I can say, though I’m not the best at explaining how grateful I am. Now, don’t be cranky, it doesn’t suit you. Besides, I’m not too sure where I’m going either,’ May laughed into the technological device, her gratefulness something which the Hoenn Champion could comprehend from her voice alone. After all, their relationship was not only based on trust, but also a lot of unspoken words and thoughts. The two had a deep understanding of each other which she’d only experienced with a few others. One prime example was Ash, who she’d bonded with after being in a few too many dangerous situations with the young man.

‘How do you live your life with such uncertainty?’ The man sighed into her ear, though she could easily detect the smile in his voice. He definitely knew she was grateful, and it would have made her smile if the man hadn’t questioned her somewhat amateurish nature.

Flaring up with faux anger, May retorted, ‘No one asked your opinion, Mister Stone! We can’t all be as solid and certain as you are! Besides, Harley’s the one who told me to be here, I’m only doing what I’m told!’

‘I’ll miss these moments, May,’ Steven’s voice whispered softly down the phone, making May grimace; she would miss him too. After meeting him, she’d come to rely on him, Wallace and Brendan quite a lot, and not just because they were the friends in her region when her father became ill.

‘I know, I’ll miss you to. But then, we’ll always be friends, right?’ May grinned back, knowing the man was one of her closest friends, even if they might not talk as often in the near future. 

‘Definitely,’ the man grinned back at her, making her smile in a childlike manner at his words. 

‘I’d better go, Harley never told me which boat I’m meant to take. Tell Wallace I said hi and thank him for all of his help too,’ May smiled into the Xtransceiver, picturing her friend rolling his eyes slightly at her request.

‘Yes, I’ll let Wallace know, though I’m certain he’s as aware of your gratitude as I am. I’ll also remind him not to go through the boxes in my basement, though I’m sure he’d love to see that Teddiursa onesie you have for the extra cold winters,’ Steven grinned back before ending the call. 

‘Steven!’ May shrieked, only to hear the tone of death in her ear. Silently fuming, May knew the Hoenn Champion would consider himself extremely lucky if she’d forgotten about that jibe the next time they saw each other. 

Ignoring the curious stares she was receiving, May headed to a nearby bench and took a seat, silently fuming at the teasing from one of her closest friends. While she was sorely tempted to call Steven back, she knew that she had to wait for Harley’s contact. Considering she didn’t have the faintest idea of how he would contact her, she wanted to keep her Xtransceiver’s line open.

It didn’t take long before someone took a seat beside her, though the brown haired beauty did not glance to her side. Slateport was a busy city, and people moved as they liked, so it was next to impossible to keep the seat beside her empty.

‘So, it’s true, you’re really back?’ A soft voice questioned, sounding both hopeful and hurt. 

Glancing around her, May realised that there was no one else remaining in her vicinity long enough for the speaker to be talking to them. Whoever the speaker was, they were addressing her. 

‘I beg your pardon?’ May whispered, turning her gaze to the right to see a younger, brown haired woman beside her, her blueish green eyes focused intently upon her own. 

‘Brianna?’ May gasped, unable to hide her surprise at seeing the younger woman. While she hadn’t kept touch with the woman, it surprised her to see her here, in Slateport. After all, it was the place May had first met Drew, and held a lot of fond memories for the older Coordinator. 

Did Brianna hold similar sentiments for this seaside city? 

‘Hello May, it’s nice to see you again,’ Brianna smiled at the older brunette, her green eyes filled with joy as they seemed to drink up every one of May’s movements. 

As the two stared at each other in momentary silence, the younger’s lips were soon pressed into a tight pout. Realising that she should initiate conversation, May frantically searched for something to say. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d spoken to Brianna, and felt slightly guilty about losing touch with the younger woman. 

‘How’ve you been, Brianna? You look great!’ May grinned, her sapphire orbs lingering on Brianna’s flattering rose coloured dress, her medium length hair pulled back into a neat braid. Though she was really fishing for something to say, she did mean it. Brianna no longer looked like an uncertain young child, fighting for Drew’s affections. She was confident, more confident than May herself felt. 

‘I’ve been well, I guess. I mean, you and Mister Drew both disappeared and it left the coordinating circuit desiring much. I know that even your friend from Sinnoh, Dawn, was concerned over your welfare,’ Brianna mused before glancing at the ship docked in the harbour. 

Hearing this, May once again felt guilt wash over her at having isolated herself from so many genuine friends. It took her a moment to realise that Brianna had continued with a soft smile, questioning, ‘So, you’re finally back?’

‘I don’t know about being back, but I am going on a journey. I’ve had a much needed reminder from a friend that you only really have one shot in life, and that my wishes have been far from fulfilled. So wait, Dawn was worried about me?’ May frowned, turning her gaze onto her sturdy boots anxiously. She’d never meant to make anyone worry, that was why she hadn’t told anyone anything. Was what she did wrong?

‘May, everyone was worried about you! What did you think would happen when you registered for the Festival and didn’t turn up? Everyone noticed your absence, and it was hard not to try to call you! By Arceus, you’re still the Princess of Hoenn, as sure as Drew is the Prince!’ Brianna snapped, her brows furrowed in anger. 

Hearing the younger woman snap so suddenly, May almost jumped out of her skin. Clearly her fiery disposition hadn’t changed, even if her physique had. It made May smile a little, though the younger woman didn’t appreciate the other brunette’s contemplation, let alone her cheerful disposition at being publically reprimanded. 

With a pounding heart, she whispered, ‘I’m sorry, Brianna, I didn’t mean to upset or worry anyone. Besides, you know that if I could have done anything to stop that nickname, I would have. I’m far from a princess, even if Drew thinks he’s a Prince.’

‘Not upset anyone? Do you have any idea how crushed I was? After all these years, the press are still adamant that you and Mister Drew are secret lovers! Why would neither of you at least tell me? Don’t you think that I’d deserved to know that?’ Brianna’s voice escalated angrily, slicing through the silence of the beach air like a knife and attracting quite a lot of unwanted attention to the pair. 

Wincing slightly at once again finding herself in such a compromising scene, May frantically wondered if every reunion would be this melodramatically angry. If that was the case, she was sorely tempted to return to her apartment and never come back out. Why did she attract so much attention now? When she’d been a child, surrounded by other children, she’d never had this much drama; or at least it had been spaced out nicely. Going on a journey as an adult was more emotionally taxing than she’d ever imagined.

‘How dare you!’ An all too familiar voice hollered, making May wince with fear. This was not the person she wanted to see whilst she was already in the spotlight. If anything, he would only make it worse, and May did not think her heart could stand any more strain. 

Frantically, she glanced around for a place to hide, ignoring her younger friend’s confused anger. Whilst the younger woman may have been clueless as to what was coming, May knew. She was extremely familiar with the impeding tirade and wanted to seek protection from it while she could, otherwise she might not make it out alive.

‘Don’t you dare look so confused! Yes, I’m talking to you!’ Harley’s voice continued to bellow as he swayed through the crowd, pushing people aside with his hips. As usual, he seemed to be completely unfazed by the glares of others around him, whilst May was struggling to maintain her own composure. Honestly, she just wanted to use Iris’ Excadrill to use dig so she could sink into the ground in shame. 

Brianna blinked in clear shock as Harley reached them, hands on his hips and his green eyes ablaze with anger as he ranted, ‘Excuse me twerpette, but you have no right to talk to my favourite little gingerbread cookie like that! It’s taken me hours to get her to get this far and you’re not sending her back to that punishment! Don’t you see how her years of exile slaughtered her self-confidence? You are not going to destroy that in five minutes, do you hear me? Who do you think you are?’

Surprised, Brianna opened and closed her mouth, evidently uncertain as to how to respond. Once again, Harley had truly intimidated his opponent, though May couldn’t blame Brianna for clamming up at the sight of that Banette costume. 

‘I’m sorry, Bri, we’d better go. I’ll send you an email tonight with my Xtransceiver number,’ May apologised before jumping off the bench and herding Harley as subtly as she could away from her younger friend. 

‘Take care, I won’t forgive you if you forget!’ Brianna called as May weaved Harley through the crowd, all anger removed from her suddenly cheerful voice.

Reaching the wooden and homely dock, May arched a cool eyebrow at Harley, tapping her foot impatiently as she crossed her arms in clear irritation. She’d learnt this trick from her mother, and had it work wonders on not only Max and Brendan, but also Steven.

To her vexation, the purple haired man completely ignored her anger, taking in a moment to admire her attire. Clearly Harley had to be an exemption to every rule.

‘May, hon, you scrub up well for your journey now. Look at you, with your skin tight denim and loose red shirt. Where’s that bandana of yours gone to?’ Harley wiggled his eyebrows, nudging her side. Evidently he was not distracted, nor intimidated, by her apparent anger.

‘Don’t change the topic,’ May glowered, impatiently swatting his elbow away.

‘What? Is green no longer your favoured colour?’ Harley whispered with feigned shock.

Rolling her eyes in response, she glowered, ‘Where are we going?’

‘Heard of Kalos?’ Harley grinned, his green eyes sparkling with mirth.

‘Who hasn’t heard of Kalos?’ May retorted, knowing that her friend would expect her to still be as clueless as ever.

‘Oh, well we’re not going there,’ Harley giggled before sauntering to the ticket machine and purchasing two tickets, though he used his body to hide the buttons he was pressing.

‘Then where are we going!’ May groaned, trying her best to suppress the urge to stomp her foot like an impatient five year old. Didn’t she have a right to know the location of her journey? What would her family think if they knew that even she did not know where she was going?

‘It’s a surprise, didn’t you get that memo? Solidad’s already there waiting for us,’ Harley taunted, wagging a finger in mock scolding.

With a pout, May relented and followed Harley around the crowded rooms, wondering all the while why he wouldn’t just tell her. Then, placing either hand before her eyes, he led her towards the ship they would sail on, not once hinting at where they were going, nor letting her catch so much as a hint of their determined location.  
 


	4. Chapter 3

Walking down the halls of the elegant ship, May suppressed the urge to find Harley. They’d been on the seas now for a few days and May didn’t want to disturb the man more than she had to. He’d always been passionate about inexplicable things such as having enough beauty sleep, and May knew better than to disturb the man unless he sought her out. He’d already lost his patience with her once for trying to find out where they were going. How he’d cope out in the open air, exposed to the elements on a journey was beyond the younger brunette. The man was an enigma to her, though she’d long ago given up on deciphering his habits and moods.

Besides, being alone in the unfamiliar wooden hallways was eerily relaxing, and May enjoyed this moment of privacy from the man’s extravagance. After all, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d been out in the open seas, free from concerns. No longer did she have to worry about the poisonous customers of Rockson’s Boutique, whose main concerns were spending their cash on overpriced luxury products, purchasing items the employees themselves had to save for months to afford them. At least she no longer would have to suffer the anxiety attacks the customers’ rage left her with, or the bitter taste in her mouth when a customer was offered a discount for yelling at her. Yes, freedom was definitely sweet, and she loved the ocean.

The ship Harley had pushed her onto had turned out to be an exquisite cruise ship, with quite a few different levels, a tennis court, swimming pool, Pokémon battle and theatre areas and sunbathing locations. Whilst it had been exciting the first few weeks, May soon found herself tired of the routine, preferring to wonder where she was going. No one she encountered would tell her, apparently having been bribed by the purple haired Top Coordinator. Honestly, did the man have nothing better to do than to taunt her?

Having encouraged her Pokémon to battle each other, May was quickly becoming bored with the lack of a challenge. She was no longer taken in by the high flat ceilings, nor the extravagant cornice which lined the walls. The wooden doors with intricate engravings didn’t attract her interest either, nor did the lacquered wooden floor which had initially amused her Skitty so.

Instead, she now simply enjoyed the peace and quiet which was the ship’s least frequented hallways, hoping to come up with a few appeal plans, just in case Harley had a plan to deploy her in Sinnoh or the like. Whilst the man may have encouraged her to leave Sootopolis, she knew his motive was to encourage her to return to coordinating. However, she really didn’t feel like she would accomplish anything. In the past, she’d always just fallen short. What had changed? Her rivals had all moved on to bigger, better things, and she was still stuck in the same rut. 

Pushing aside such negative thoughts, May continued to focus on her course. Enjoying to rolling movements of the boat, she did her best to suppress her giant smile. She’d always had an affinity with water, even if the Tentacool had made her fear it slightly. 

Considering the few times she had been out in the open seas, May could no longer hide her smile as memories of her journey with Ash, Brock and Max filled her mind. Not for the first time did she wonder how the Prince of the Sea was going. While she’d wanted to visit him on numerous occasions, she’d always found herself hesitating. Would he remember her? The thought of rejection coursed through her body, colder than any of the world’s oceans. 

Letting out a shaky breath, May focused on walking away from her depressed thoughts, humming a soft tune slightly, though her thoughts were filled with memories and concerns about the blue prince. Unbeknown to her, she was softly humming the tune her adopted son had sung out on the ocean.

‘May, is that you?’ A soft voice whispered, pulling May out of her thoughts faster than her Munchlax could locate stolen food.

With a wince, May’s shoulders hunched slightly as she registered the attention. Fearing a repetition of her first encounter with Harley or Brianna, she turned to see blue eyes before her, as blue as the oceans outside the ship. It took her a moment to truly register the beautiful face before her, its naturally beauty heightened expertly by makeup, framed by an intricate blue curtain of hair. 

With an anxious smile, May responded, ‘Hi Dawn, it’s been a long time.’

The woman with long blue hair let out a shuddering gasp before running towards her friend, her eyes brimming with tears. To the brunette’s surprise, the bluenette tackled her in a tight hug, wrapping her arms around May’s neck.

Wrapping her arms hesitantly around the slim frame of her friend, May whispered, ‘I’m sorry for not leaving Sootopolis for so long, Dawn. I didn’t think it would worry or upset you so.’

‘Please, it’s ok, you’re talking to me!’ The bluenette giggled as she let go of her friend. In a more serious tone, she continued, ‘Besides, I know the strain that you’ve been under. At least you’re finally escaping Rockson’s Boutique! That place is poisonous, honestly, all of my darkest outfits come straight out of my memories there!’

‘I’ve missed you,’ May whispered with a soft smile as she pulled her friend into another tight hug. The two might have been from different regions, but they had more in common than Ash and Morrison. 

‘I’ve missed you too, besty! Just don’t leave it so long next time,’ Dawn grinned as she once again returned the hug. The two may have met when May was 12 years old, but their friendship had grown fast and strong, like her friendship with Misty and the others. Ash certainly knew how to attract great characters to him, who were genuine, friendly and caring. 

‘Now all we need are Misty, Zoey, Iris and Serena and we’ll have the whole girls’ gang together,’ May chirped eagerly, unable to contain her joy at a finally cheerful reunion. 

‘That’s excluding Ash, Brock, Cilan, Clemont, Bonnie, Trevor, Tierno, and Shauna,’ Dawn responded as she adjusted her pink headband, winking at May’s stunned expression. Of the remaining group, May hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting most of them, though Dawn, Iris and Misty had tried to pressure her into meeting Cilan on more than one occasion.

‘I still haven’t met Cilan,’ May frowned slightly, her expression unusually serious as she contemplated meeting the green haired Pokémon Connoisseur.

‘That’s because you refuse to meet him because he apparently reminds you of a certain grasshead,’ Dawn teased with a subtle nudge as she took May’s arm in her own and continued on their way through the hall.

‘That—that’s not true!’ May gasped unconvincingly, though they both knew it was a lie. Her stutter, slight flush and tone all gave her away, and May knew it.

Thankfully, Dawn knew better than to call her friend out on her blatant denial.

Looking for another topic to distract them, May glanced apprehensively at their surroundings. Noticing they were leaving the hallway for some old stairs, May realised she had no idea where they were. Almost anxiously, she muttered, ‘Hey, where are we going?’

‘The deck, of course! I want to see the ocean views before I have to worry about the grand opening of my boutique,’ Dawn smiled before running ahead, her petite heels clicking on the wooden stairs of the ship.

‘I forgot all about your grand opening! Oh Dawn, I’m so sorry! I don’t think Harley will let me be there to see you start it up!’ May whispered as she reached her friend on the deck.

‘No need to worry, I know how important this journey is to you. Besides, you deserve it after how busy you’ve been paying bills, and making sure your family are all right,’ Dawn grinned back, making her friend smile at her old catch phrase.

‘You know that’s when everyone worries the most,’ May teased back, ignoring her friend’s unamused expression. They were both aware of far too many stories for them to take that joke too lightly; after all, this was Dawn, and she attracted more trouble than May could think up.

‘Who will be at your opening?’ May questioned, poking her fingers together in a sheepish manner.

‘Well, Ash and Iris are out because of that championship training. Misty said something about battling an old friend herself, so she’ll be out, too. As for Brock, he said he had to arrange things with Sabrina—I think he may finally be asking her the question, by the way. Cilan assured me he and his brothers would definitely pop by, though I’m not too sure how Chili and Cres would feel about leaving the gym for another region. Serena said she’d definitely be there with Bonnie and Shauna, though she’d try to convince Clemont, Trevor and Tierno to come too,’ Dawn beamed as she met May’s sapphire gaze. The bluenette seemed perfectly at ease that some of her closest friends couldn’t be there for this vital moment, and it made May feel ten times worse.

The brunette, in response, frowned, ‘What about Zoey, Nando, Kenny or Paul?’

Scratching her blue hair anxiously, Dawn responded, ‘Well, Zoey and Nando are a definite, but Kenny’s been rather aloof lately, and he won’t tell me why. As for Paul, let’s just face the facts. He’s never going to go near my boutique if he can help it.’

‘Hmmm, I see. Sorry I brought it up,’ May grimaced as she beheld her friend’s suddenly downcast gaze. While it was no secret to May that Dawn liked both Paul and Kenny, the latter had pestered her into a relationship, despite her expressing uncertainty. May herself knew from experience just how pushy childhood friends could be, and felt pity for the blue haired woman.

‘No need to worry, you didn’t know. So, why are you going to Almia of all places?’ Dawn questioned her friend as she leaned on the railing of the ship, apparently enjoying the salty air. They both watched the water ripple past their boat as a group of Mantine surfaced briefly.

‘Almia? To be honest, I didn’t know where we were going. Harley kind of shoved me on this ship without much of a say in the matter. Though, when I think about it, I doubt he would really have let me do anything to change his mind. He’s always been quite stubborn, but I’m sure that he knows what he’s doing. After all, he was extremely adamant that I go on this journey with him,’ May shrugged slightly, closing her eyes to enjoy the feel of the saltwater’s spray on her face. Smelling the salt air, she couldn’t help but smile. She really did love the water, though maybe that was just her ancestry coming through. After all, she was apparently a descendent of the People of the Water, though she hadn’t advertised that revelation to anyone; not Misty, Dawn, Brendan or her parents. She wasn’t even sure if Max had mentioned it to them.

Dawn’s smug voice pulled her out of her thoughts as the bluenette boasted, ‘I bet I know why you’re going!’

Arching a cool eyebrow, May ignored her confusion as she frowned, ‘What do you mean?’

‘Lucas told me that they’re starting contests out in Almia in a bid to improve tourism there,’ Dawn crowed as she considered her friend’s impeding journey.

‘Lucas? Who’s Lucas?’ May giggled teasing her friend with a slight nudge. Despite her feign cheer, May felt herself floundering in nerves, wanting nothing more than to jump on the next boat back to Hoenn. After all, she hadn’t really thought about entering contests again. She wasn’t ready, even if she’d speculated about some appeals after suspecting Harley’s motives.

Again, Dawn pulled May out of her thoughts as she gasped, her expression horrified. Perplexed, May blinked in response, unaware of what she could have said to offend her friend so.

‘Ew, May I can’t believe you just said that! He’s my cousin!’ Dawn shrieked in response, looking aptly disgusted whilst she swatted May’s elbow away, poking her tongue out in repulsion.

‘Oops, sorry, I had no idea!’ May chuckled, feeling happier than she had in months, pushing aside her qualms. After all, she hadn’t really had a true day with any of her girlfriends in so long that she hadn’t realised she was missing it. 

‘Yeah, well how would you feel if I mentioned anything going on between you and Brendan?’ Dawn glowered, placing her hands on her hips in clear anger as she turned to face her friend.

‘You did, don’t you remember?’ May retorted, her own anger at the memory flaring up again. Shortly after the accusation, she’d been left traumatised, unable to even talk to her childhood friend without an unseemly blush creeping on her cheeks. Of course, Dawn had been giggling in the bushes, unable to hide her amusement at the brunette’s predicament. Poor Brendan had been left profoundly confused, watching the girl he viewed as a sister struggling to communicate normally with him.

‘Oh yeah, about that, hehehe,’ Dawn chuckled nervously herself before the two’s gazes met and they giggled at each other, reminiscing their experiences together.

Neither seemed to notice the sound of heeled steps rushing towards them, nor the sound of elegant panting as the boat continued to part the ocean’s unsolidified surface.

‘May, hon, where have you been? I’ve been looking everywhere for you!’ Harley called, pulling their attention away from each other. May smiled sheepishly as she heard her other friend’s breath hitch slightly as she took in the man’s extravagant costume.

‘I was right here with Dawn all along. There’s no need to worry, she’s visiting her cousin,’ May responded in what she hoped to be a soothing tone. After all, with Harley you could really never be sure how he’d react to anything. It was one of the things that made everyone fear him, though May suspected he thrived on that fear.

‘Now tell me, Dusk, do you want to see our dear Princess of Hoenn make it big and finally reach her dream?’ Harley whispered, his expression darkening as he leaned in closer to Dawn, a perfect repetition of his previous attempts to intimidate May when she was younger.

The blue haired woman reacted by freezing in place, her muscles tense. After all, she’d heard enough of May’s complaints about the purple haired man when they were young children. There was no means of confirming if the man had grown up, and, even though she would deny it, May was far too forgiving for Dawn to honestly take the man’s lecture to heart.

When it became clear that Harley was waiting a response, she stuttered, ‘Y-yes of course I want May to reach her dream. She’s deserved it after putting it off for so long. She’s been working so hard for other people’s sakes that I can’t think of anyone who’d deserve it more.’ 

‘Harley, don’t threaten my friends, that’s not very nice,’ May growled, pushing the man away from her friend with clear vexation. Her tone angry, she continued, ‘Besides, I just told you her name is Dawn.’

‘May, hon, there’s no need to be rude,’ Harley chastised slightly, surprising the younger brunette with his persistent hypocrisy. However, his words were true, it was not her place to chastise him quite so harshly.

‘Sorry,’ May responded with a sheepish grin, scratching her cheek nervously as a flock of Wingull flew overhead, calling their names out to their companions with cheerful cries.

‘Come on, May, the ship will be arriving soon, I can’t wait for you to meet Lucas!’ Dawn gushed, her pearly white teeth revealed in her giant smile. She didn’t wait for a response from either of her companions as she rushed ahead.

‘I’ll be waiting for you at the port if I don’t see you on the way there. You’d better be there!’ Dawn called before promptly rushing down the steps.

‘Whoa, Dawn, calm down,’ May grinned back, her sapphire eyes glancing out before them on the boat. May was surprised to see the outline of land in the distance. She hadn’t expected to see the land so soon, though they had been travelling a while. Whilst she felt her enthusiasm for her journey increase exponentially, she couldn’t help but dampen it slightly with worry. Was she truly ready for Almia? More importantly, was she ready for her contest debut? 

With a subtle sigh, she knew she would never be truly ready again.


	5. Chapter 4

From the confines of the tiny cabin, May glanced around at the four walls which had formed her abode over the past few days. While she wouldn’t miss the not too comfortable bed, nor the drab furniture, she knew she’d miss the rolling movements of the boat. While she loved land, she’d sorely missed being out on the ocean. However, now wasn’t the time to enjoy these small pleasures; there was no doubt that Dawn and Harley would be waiting for her shortly. 

Grabbing her shoulder bag, May let out a calming breath as she fought the Beautiflies and Butterfrees in her stomach. Taking a last glance in the sole mirror by the only exit of her room, she whispered to her reflection, ‘Well, it’s now or never.’

Checking that her hair was neatly tied in its ponyta-tail, May turned to the door. Hearing a popping sound came from her belt, followed by a red flash, the young brunette paused in her movements to survey the new presence in her room. After a moment, a tall silhouette formed before her, blocking her way. Once the red glow had disappeared from his strong body, Blaziken’s formidable physique materialised perfectly before her. His blue eyes were intent upon her as he crossed his arms in an almost expectant manner.

Noticing her starter pokémon’s knowing gaze upon her, May’s shoulders slumped. She might have fooled Harley and Dawn, but Blaziken knew her better than anyone. He’d seen her go through her best and worst times, fighting by her side through everything. Even Max hadn’t seen as many sides to her as her trusty starter had, but then, when they’d travelled together for years, a strong bond was forged between them. It was only strengthened by May’s anguish at her father’s ailment, a manifestation of her guilt in alienating him after he tried to pressure her into accepting the pokémon she’d feared as a child. Furthermore, he’d been witness to her increasing sense of despair and her childish jealousy at Max’s chance. Throughout it all, Blaziken had been by her side, knowing her every emotion as surely as he knew his own. He was her rock, in every sense of the word, and without him, she would not have been able to hold out as long as she had. 

‘Blaziken, I’m not sure about what Harley’s asking. After all these years, I can’t. I’m not ready for this. What if I muck it up somehow?’ May whispered as she met his calm blue gaze, her bottom lip trembling with fear. They both knew that, despite gaining age and becoming significantly stronger, May still had zero self-confidence. More importantly, she had faith in her pokémon, but none in herself. That was something none of her partners could fix for her, no matter how hard they’d tried over the years. 

Letting out an irritated puff of smoke from his red beak, Blaziken placed a powerful claw on her shoulder, his eyes softening slightly with an emotion May couldn’t read. He’d always been the stronger of the two, ever since he’d evolved. However, he’d maintained his tough act since evolving, but May knew her pokémon was still as concerned for her as he had been on the first dredges of their journey. On rare occasions did he drop his strong persona and reveal his anxiety for her. 

‘No, you’re right, it’ll be fine,’ May growled, clenching her fist with determination. If her pokémon had faith in her, then she should at least try to justify that faith. After all, they were the reason she had come this far, and the reason she’d keep going.

Even though she was looking right at Blaziken, her pokémon glanced at May with worry before sighing slightly at her sudden enthusiasm. After all, her moods were still as unpredictable as ever, bouncing back from fear, depression and anger faster than he could use a sky uppercut attack.

‘I know you’re worried, Blaziken, but I’ll be fine. Honestly, there’s no need to worry,’ May smiled, reverting to Dawn’s catch phrase without realising. After being close friends for so long, she’d accidentally picked up some of her friend’s habits, catch phrases included. 

Noticing her Pokémon’s flat stare, she realised he was as aware of the consequences of said catch phrase as she was. With a slight chuckle, May couldn’t help but grin guiltily at her friend before walking past him and out of the room. Her pokémon tittered disapprovingly behind her before following her down the hallway, using a claw to gently close the door behind him. 

‘Come on, Blaziken, I’m fine,’ May called, glancing back to see her pokémon roll its eyes at her sudden chipper act. He really did know her inside out, and it made her pout slightly in response, completely oblivious of the person who was nearing her, facing the opposite direction; handing an unseen envelope to someone whose face was unseen.

‘Oh May, hon! Where are you?’ Harley’s voice sang, ringing across the ship’s deck as the figure, dressed in a teal hoodie, rushed away from them, the envelope held tightly in their hand. 

The purple haired man smirked once before walking on, not even sparing a second glance at May and Blaziken, despite appearing to search for them. 

Hearing the man’s voice, both May and Blaziken stopped their rather unusual discussion to glance at him. The pokémon, in response to Harley’s tone, glowered irritably, though May sent him a stern glance to acquiesce his concerns. 

‘Here, Harley!’ May called, rushing in the direction the man had sauntered away to, not noticing a Roserade lurking in the shadows, watching her movements, his red and blue roses crossed impatiently before following their movements.

Climbing up the steps to reach the deck, May notice Harley in his Banette costume waiting beside a rather anxious looking Dawn, both with their backs to May.

‘Sorry to keep you both waiting, I’m here,’ May called, jogging slightly to reach her friends, unaware of Blaziken studying the pokémon behind her. 

‘Excellent! Now, let me introduce you to my cousin,’ Dawn giggled before taking both of their hands and rushing off the boat. 

Over the years, the bluenette had taken a leaf out of May’s book and ensured to remain fit and healthy, making her strong enough to pull her companions behind her. After all, a healthy mind and body went hand in hand, and it helped to ensure she was able to come up with exquisite designs.

Taken by surprise, May followed the bluenette, glancing back at her pokémon with clear apprehension. Blaziken, in response, huffed once in irritation before sending a meaningful glance to the grass and poison type which was still hidden in the shadows before bounding after them, his expression as calm as ever. 

If May hadn’t known better, she could have sworn her starter pokémon’s gaze was locked on the purple haired man with apprehensive suspicion, though she reminded herself that too many years had passed since Harley’s last prank, and that he deserved yet another chance.

‘Is your cousin cute, hon?’ Harley giggled, linking arms with Dawn, apparently unaware of the distrust from the pokémon behind them. He didn’t even blink as they clambered off the ship’s gangway and onto dry land, though he did glance briefly at May to ensure she was keeping up.

The brunette, in response, smiled briefly at the green eyed man who winked once before returning his attention to the blue haired beauty attached to his arm. 

‘Ummm, I guess some would think he’s cute?’ Dawn responded in a questioning tone, with a nervous giggle. May knew she felt apprehensive at such an unusual question, though she could not think of anything to deter Harley’s enthusiasm. The man was a peculiar specimen, after all.

Struggling to keep up with her friends, especially whilst Dawn held her arm in a rather awkward angle, May understood her female companion’s anxiety—she wouldn’t know how to respond if someone asked her if Ash, Brendan or Wally were cute. At least she was accustomed to questions about Steven and Wallace, but that was solely because both of them had a horde of fans. Whilst she’d adjusted to that idea a while ago, she knew that Brendan and Wally both resented her more famous friends, whilst Ash was merely jealous of their acclaimed titles. 

For the sake of her bluenette friend, May knew she had to interject the conversation and reassure both parties before anything untoward could occur. After all, if Dawn reacted as she had back on the deck, Harley would not be amused. She knew far too well from experience that an unamused Harley was a dangerous and melodramatic version of the man. 

‘I’m sure he is. After all, he’s your cousin; he’s had to have inherited some of your looks from your forefathers,’ May grinned back, winking at her friend in a reassuring manner as she awkwardly extrapolated herself from her friend’s grip. Honestly, she had no idea where Dawn had gained such strength from, even if she trained daily with her pokémon. 

‘Dawn, is that you?’ A deep voice called, pulling May’s attention from her friend so she finally noticed her unfamiliar surroundings. 

Wherever they’d landed in Almia, it was a quaint, neat town with cement pathways, decorated generously with trees. People and pokémon alike were loitering in the streets, enjoying the charming views. The houses were made of a grey brick with red roofs, each littered with smaller windows in even intervals. 

Noticing a few pedestrians nearby, May noticed how relaxed and comfortable they were, contrasting with the miserable frustration which was evident on the people she’d seen in Sootopolis. Yes, wherever this place was, May knew it was a peaceful place which was secluded from the anger and resentment of the world May had inhabited for far too long. 

The young woman was so engrossed in her admiration of her surroundings that she didn’t notice her friend’s surprised gasp, followed by the sound of soft feet on the sidewalk. 

‘Lucas!’ Dawn gasped before giving up on gaining her brunette friend’s attention. With a giant grin, the blue haired woman rushed towards a man wearing a red flat cap, a blue jacket and black cargo pants. 

In response to her friend’s sudden disappearance, May blinked out of her stupor to notice the unacquainted newcomer. Blinking back into reality, the sapphire eyed woman glanced at her purple haired friend and her starter pokémon in utter bewilderment. Whilst Harley’s green eyes were strained upon the man in eager delight, Blaziken offered her a slight, uncertain shrug. 

‘My favourite little cousin!’ The man chuckled before pulling Dawn into a tight hug, his brown eyes sparkling in delight. 

‘Wow, he’s a looker,’ Harley whistled, not so subtly nudging May, who flushed at the brash and inappropriate statement. She’d never dare to say anything at all quite so loudly, but it was one of the many reasons why Harley had always been an irreplaceable figure in her life.

The newcomer, to May’s embarrassment, glanced past Dawn and right at her, apparently believing that she’d said Harley’s statement. With a squeak, she tore her gaze away from him, focusing instead on Harley’s Banette costume with renewed fervour. 

From the corner of her eye, she could see the black haired man whisper something into Dawn’s ear, making her giggle in a knowing manner as May felt the rush of more blood pulse to her face in embarrassment. She really hoped that the man didn’t think Harley’s statement had come from her mouth. After all, Harley’s voice was still rather effeminate when the man wanted it to be, and she was still extremely innocent, especially if she had a say in the matter. Making such comments about others’ physique was definitely not something May could do easily. 

Considering the last time she’d been exposed to such an awkward scenario, May sincerely hoped that her friend would leave the topic be, at least for the sake of her burning face. How Brendan and Max would tease her if either of them could see her now!

‘Cousin, this is May and Harley, they’re both coordinators, like me,’ Dawn smiled politely, sharing a knowing wink at a still slightly flushed May. The woman, in response, poked her fingers together feebly and stared down at her feet, suddenly enraptured by a speck of dirt on her shoes.

‘It’s a pleasure,’ Lucas smiled at them politely, holding May’s gaze in his own for longer than necessary as Harley stood beside them, frowning at their little moment. 

In retaliation, Harley stole the younger man’s attention from his younger, and suddenly grateful, companion, gushing, ‘Oh, hon, the pleasure is all mine. Where has a cutie like you been all my life? Hmmm? Come on now, dear boy, don’t be shy!’

‘He’s been in Sinnoh, mostly. Now, I’m sorry to interrupt your introductions, but I think we’re all a little tired from our length stay on the ship. Let’s get you both settled in a Pokémon Centre,’ Dawn chuckled back at Harley, linking her arm with her cousin and skipping along the roads of Almia, its paved streets clean and frequented by people and pokémon alike, seemingly oblivious to Harley’s muted rants about injustice and rude twerpettes. 

Following her friend and paying no heed to Harley’s anger, May once again found herself admiring the unusual nature of the town. It was unlike anything May had ever experienced before. Various types and levels of pokémon simply wandered the streets unhindered, apparently domesticated and perfectly happy with their current location. 

‘So, where are we? I know we’re in Almia, and they’re starting pokémon contests here, but I wouldn’t mind a place name so I can identify my location,’ May frowned as she walked beside Harley, staring at the neat grey houses which lined the paths, surrounded by green shrubs which were trimmed to perfection. Not one had the room for a car, though there were some lined in the streets. 

Some would call her pedantic, but since her experiences as Gym Leader, she liked to be aware of where she was. After all, the Champion would sometimes contact her back in the day just to find out where she was. Memories of that time made her smile. It had been fun, a different kind of adventure that she hadn’t expected. 

‘Pueltown, hon, though I didn’t think you were aware of Almia’s geography,’ Harley chuckled, dragging her along as he sped up to catch up to their guides. By the steely glint in his green eyes, May suspected he wanted to become more familiar with Dawn’s cousin. 

‘It makes sense, that’s for sure,’ May muttered as she glanced around her, feeling a sense of ease which occurred by knowing her location. Steven would be proud, he’d trained her well after she’d undertaken tasks for him as a Gym Leader around the Hoenn region. 

With a small smile, May was almost certain her brother would share the Champion’s pride. After all, her brother had been the one to tell her all about the Almia region; it was the region designated to rangers. It explained why the pokémon around them were roaming so freely, and May couldn’t help but love it.

‘Do you know about Almia, May?’ Lucas called as he glanced back at the brunette, his eyes tracing her figure slightly before flicking to the purple haired man to ensure he was keeping up. The newcomer, to his credit, had no idea how doggedly determined Harley could be once the man had his sights on something; and from what May could see, his determination was increasing with each passing moment. 

‘Ummm, not much, my brother’s been here a few times,’ May responded uncertainly, once again poking her fingers together. While her brother was a Ranger, she didn’t know if he was known in the area, or if he’d appreciate her spreading the news of their relation. Being a Ranger meant that he did gain a few enemies, and she didn’t want him to worry about her. Even though she had proved in Hoenn that she could look after herself, her brother was known to worry about her. As such, she didn’t want to give anything away, at least until she’d spoken to her sibling about it.

There was an awkward pause in which no one said anything, and May sorely wished that Brendan, Stephen, Wallace or Wally were there to bail her out of this incredibly awkward conversation. She wasn’t very observant at the best of times, at least, she’d always been told she was as thick as a brick, but she had a sneaking suspicion that Lucas might be a little interested in her. While her friends wouldn’t believe she was suspicious of a thing, she couldn’t help but be slightly concerned. Considering how thick she’d been to Syd’s own advances back in LaRousse City, she knew her friends would suspect Brock’s Croagunk appearing in Sootopolis and used Brick Break on her for her to have suddenly gained this conscious awareness of others. After all, she had often been labelled as being as clueless as Ash, which she’d taken some offence to initially. Now, though, she was finally developing some cognitive and emotional reflexes, and she was definitely concerned about Lucas’ extensive attention to her.

After her failed relationship with Steven, the thought alone of another being interested in her scared her, especially whilst her heart still doggedly belonged to another. 

May didn’t notice a Roserade shaking a rose covered hand in her companion’s direction in a silent show of anger, nor did she see its hooded trainer appeasing it with a hand.

‘What did your brother do here?’ Lucas questioned, his tone arbitrarily friendly, though May glanced nervously at Harley in the hopes he’d intervene. After Lucas’ glances, she didn’t feel all too comfortable talking to him about her brother. The purple haired man must have noticed her discomfort, because he frowned at the younger man in clear disapproval. 

With a very unsubtle roll of his eyes, Harley offered a response for her, speaking in an infuriatingly disparaging tone, ‘I believe he was training at the ranger school here for a while, but I’m not sure if he was successful. After all, I talk to this pipsqueak, not that tiny twerp.’

‘Oh, your brother’s a Ranger?’ Lucas frowned, apparently surprised by this revelation. May noted that he completely ignored Harley’s dark glower, appearing unhindered by the older man’s attempts to dissuade the conversation. 

‘Yes,’ May smiled, though she felt nervous to reveal this information. Furthermore, whilst the man was perfectly polite, she still felt some anxiety around him. He may be a relation of Dawn, but May did not appreciate his questions. Especially when it made her miss her brother all the more. 

‘Lucas, stop interrogating my friend,’ Dawn chastised with a slight slap on the man’s arm, apparently noticing her friend’s discomfort at last. 

May sent a small, grateful smile to her blue haired companion before returning her attention to the people wandering the streets of Pueltown. She honestly could not help but marvel at how different their lives were from the one May had just left. 

They all seemed extremely peaceful and content, mindful of the pokémon around them. She even saw a couple of people stopping to talk to them, sometimes petting them. To her surprise, they reacted with pleased murmurs, acting almost as if they were domesticated. 

Sensing the powerful presence of her starter pokémon beside her, she shared a confused glance with her own starter pokémon, who sent a reproachful glare at any pokémon who tried to approach him.

‘Everyone here seems really happy,’ May smiled softly, barely noticing the way Harley frowned at her wandering sapphire gaze as she continued to focus on the oddities of Pueltown, having heard many stories from her brother. 

‘Yeah, it makes a nice change from a certain boutique, doesn’t it?’ Dawn teased, grinning back at her friend as May childishly poked her tongue out at her, Blaziken murmuring in agreement. 

Enjoying their stroll down the streets, May petted a lone Magby which chippered in appreciation, not in the least intimidated by Blaziken’s moody glower. 

Noticing the pokémon appeared perfectly happy at her touch, May realised it was a clear indication the pokémon was somewhat domesticated and would allow any passers-by to pet it. Considering there were quite a few roaming the streets without a care, May realised that Pueltown must be an extremely safe town for its inhabitants to let their pokémon roam so freely, without any fear of capture or abandonment. 

‘You look right at home, May,’ Dawn giggled as she released her cousin to sling an arm around her close friend, briefly poking Blaziken in the side when he refused to high five a lone Tyrogue. The bluenette giggled in response to the fire type’s blank glare, not at all afraid of any of his antics

‘I suppose I’ve missed this, travelling around, meeting pokémon and people,’ May grinned back, enjoying the sun’s rays on her face as her pokémon’s blue eyes sparkled upon hearing this response.

‘You suppose?’ Harley quoted in disbelief, his arms crossed as he glowered moodily at her.

‘Oh fine, I did,’ May grinned back at the man as Lucas scratched his head in confusion.

‘That’s more like it, twerp!’ Harley muttered in a bitter response, though his green eyes were shining in delight. He wasn’t nearly as intimidating, nor as sinister as he had been when she was much younger, and it made May wonder if it was she, he or both of them who’d matured. Either way, she was grateful that their friendship finally had time to grow in the way Solidad had always told her it would.

With a soft smile, May enjoyed the silence, unaware of the shock she was bound to encounter shortly. She’d finally left Sootopolis and the cursed job at Rockson’s Boutique, embarking on a journey she’d long since deemed abandoned. There was a gentle breeze, the sun’s warm rays were on her face, and she had good company. What more could she ask for?


	6. Chapter 5

Still in their first moments of reaching Pueltown, Almia, the group were continuing their friendly amble to the nearest Pokémon Centre, enjoying the company of people and pokémon alike. 

They were walking along one of the main roads, with May humming a tune and smiling at all of the people and pokémon. She couldn’t believe she’d remained in that dreary office for so long, avoiding the fresh air and cheerful disposition of those in the real world. There was a soft breeze with the faintest hints of the salty sea air ruffling through the town, making the young woman just want to sing. 

Smiling at a particularly young boy’s angry calls for his friends to wait for him, May barely noticed as her companions came to a halt, all of them blocked by a rather large crowd. It had appeared out of nowhere, or so it seemed to the young woman. 

‘What’s going on?’ May frowned in clear confusion as she walked towards the crowd. 

From her time as Hoenn Gym Leader, she knew that crowds this size only ever appeared at a planned event. Unfortunately, it usually was one in which a Champion or Elite Four Member was involved. Considering Almia had no such thing established as of yet, May was perplexed at what could possibly draw such a large crowd. 

‘May, wait for us!’ Dawn’s voice called as May continued to rush ahead, Blaziken by her side. 

Moving to ask one of the people in the back, one of the men before her growled a warning at her not to come closer to him. With a blink, she frowned at his rude demeanour, noticing that he stood out against the others’ bright clothing. Wondering why he was wearing black clothing in such fine weather, May retracted a few steps upon noticing he had a sinister glare on his haggard expression. 

‘Well, today happens to be the day we celebrate the Rangers, of course,’ Lucas chuckled, taking the opportunity to stand beside her. Awkwardly, she glanced at the young man who sent her a knowing smile in response. Whilst he appeared perfectly friendly, May honestly had no clue how to react. 

Instinctively, she sent him an uncertain smile of her own. 

In response, he sent her a subtle wink, causing her to blanche slightly as Dawn frowned at her cousin.

Seeing the man react so confidently, she could only frown subtly, not wanting to encourage the man in any way. Silently, she wondered if she had inadvertently sent him a sign to indicate she was interested. She really hoped not, or things could get very awkward later, and not just for her, but Dawn too.

Deciding to distract herself by concentrating on the events before her, May chose to ignore the man’s gaze on her. To her, this sounded like a recurring event. If that was the case, why had her brother never told her about this celebration? 

Suppressing such ludicrous notions, May returned her thoughts to the festival before her. Whatever it was, Max hadn’t told her, and she couldn’t imagine why. It couldn’t be that it was dangerous, he’d always told her about any dangers. Did he consider it insignificant? Or was he concerned that it was something embarrassing she would tease him about later? If it was traditional, she wouldn’t tease him. After all, she’d never teased Ash about his adventures in the Orange Islands, no matter how much ammunition Misty had given her. One place’s customs were not to be mocked, no matter how strange they seemed to outsiders.

‘Why are you celebrating the Rangers?’ She found herself questioning, ignoring the surprised glances some of the people in the crowd were sending her as she walked forward.

‘You might not want to ask that question too loudly, May. After all, the Rangers are almost considered sacred to the people of Almia. They not only keep us safe, but they look after our pokémon and the environment too. The festival is just a chance for us to truly show our appreciation for all they do, and it’s manifested in the crème de la crème, with the top Houndooms themselves, the Top Rangers. They’re the ones who will be coming here soon to parade through the streets,’ Lucas continued to explain, his gaze trained on the road ahead. 

‘And how many of them are there?’ Harley frowned, hands on his hips, his eyebrow arched in cool irritation. The man, after all, preferred to be the star of the show. May knew from experience that he’d never enjoyed much competition. He’d grown accustomed to May and Drew at the insistence of Solidad, but could he really handle a group of Rangers?

‘There’s fifteen now, but only nine could come to today’s event. Spenser, Joel, Cameron, Lunick and Elita have been designated missions so they were unable to come to the festival. Jackie, Wendy, Sven, Kate, Keith, Kellyn, Solana and, the most recently promoted, Ben, Summer and Max are the ones who will be at the festival today. They’re rarely in the same spot at once, and all I can say is it’s an honour to be here to witness them,’ Lucas beamed, his eyes sparkling with a delight that caught May by surprise. Clearly the Rangers were truly respected in Almia, and her brother hadn’t wanted her to tease him about this rather unconventional status. 

Pausing at his words, the young woman couldn’t help but grin. So, Jackie, Solana and Max would be in Pueltown too. Whilst she knew of Max’s recent promotion, she hadn’t had the chance to congratulate him in person yet.

Considering just how many Top Rangers she knew, May wondered what the statistical odds were that something like this would happen when she had finally decided to continue her journey? Previously, she’d always attributed that kind of dumb luck to Ash, but now she couldn’t be so sure. After all, her black haired friend was back in Kanto to battle their Champion. Maybe it was fate, though could that idea possibly be true?

‘They’re coming!’ A child’s voice called, pulling her out of her thoughts.

With a soft smile, May looked back at her pokémon and winked once. In reaction, he rolled his eyes and stepped forward, following her as she somehow managed to squeeze her way through the crowd to the front, making sure she avoided the cranky man from before. Considering how luck had brought her here, she wouldn’t let the opportunity to see her brother and old friends pass by.

‘Here they come!’ Another voice called, before the crowd erupted into cheers, drowning out the sound of her friends calling her name in concern. 

With a light laugh, May felt the reassuring presence of her Blaziken press into her back, reminding her that her starter pokémon was beside her every step of the way on her journey. His presence reminded her that she was safe, cared for and not alone.

The cheers were increasing in noise substantially, and May found herself cheering alongside the strangers around her. 

Sure enough, a green haired man headed the congregation, his hair pulled away from his forehead by a white band. He wore the black, red, yellow and white uniform of a ranger, a Fearow flying gracefully behind him. 

Around her, the crowd started chanting at the sight of the man, ‘Spenser!’

Alongside him was a blonde haired man, wearing sunglasses and a purple suit, the three headed Dodrio ambling slowly after the man. Upon seeing him, the crowd cheered, ‘Joel!’ 

A buff, red haired man wearing a black singlet and green cargo shorts petted a Pelipper as he followed the duo, and May could deduce from the crowd that his name was Cameron. Again, the crowd advised her that Elita was the pink haired woman beside him glanced at him coolly, her Skarmory snapping slightly at the water and flying type.

After them sauntered the all too familiar Jack Walker, his blond hair styled in its messy form, his own black, yellow, red and white ranger uniform flattering his toned body. As usual, he’d probably refused to hinder any pokémon by having it as his partner. Beside him walked a green haired beauty in the dress form of his uniform’s colours, a Staraptor flapping its wings idly next to her. 

Those around May so kindly reiterated her name to be Wendy, and on the other side of her walked a man with styled black hair, his ranger uniform styled to reveal his well-muscled arms, which were crossed across his chest. The man glanced smugly at the crowd before flickering his gaze at May and then to the Luxray which stalked the man, his expression fierce as he responded to the name Sven.

In a separate trio behind Jackie’s group was a light brown haired young man, his arm raised in the air in acknowledgement of the crowd, a Buizel imitating his moves near him, spurting little turrets of water at any who called the name Keith. A brunette woman with hair styled in curly pigtails skipped between the two men, her expression filled with delight as a Pachirisu waved from the top of her head beamed when she heard people calling Kate. Last in their trio was another brunette, whose hair stuck at odd angles akin to Jackie’s. He seemed to respond to the name Kellyn, and was followed by a rather fierce looking Munchlax, reminding May of her own. 

In the last group were four members. The first May saw made her grin as she recognised the unique light blue hair of her friend, Solana, which was styled to defy gravity. On her shoulders were her partners, Plusle and Minun. She walked next to a brunette whose hair was styled so it all pointed upward, his own uniform was a lighter colour than the rest. It was red, white and a light blue, though a yellow scarf was wrapped around his neck. Above him flew a Staraptor, its cries filling the air around them. By deduction, May recognised this man’s name to be Ben, whose name was simultaneously called out with someone named Summer. Again, by deduction, May suspected Summer was the woman who was trailing behind him in a somewhat upset manner. From glancing at the two, May found that they appeared to be twins, her uniform matching his, though a Pichu sat on her shoulder, wielding a light blue ukulele. And walking alongside her, arms raised in the air was Max, May’s younger brother. His thick glasses had been abandoned for contacts, which wouldn’t hinder him in the field, and his eager grin filled his older sister with pride. Sure enough, the Ralts they had encountered in Hoenn was gliding beside him until it paused, appearing to search the crowd for something.

Blinking, May frowned as her brother paused to glance back at his partner pokémon. Her brother said something to the Ralts before it teleported away from the group, vanishing in thin air. 

‘Ralts?’ Her brother’s voice called, making their procession come to a slight pause, Solana’s gaze darkening as her eyes scanned the crowd for any danger. May herself found her gaze meeting Jackie’s surprised expression before a soft noise before her sounded, pulling her attention away from the blond man. Looking down, she noticed a mop of green hair attached to a small, white frame, as it raised its head up at her. With a small smile, it called its name, reiterating Ralts’ reappearance. 

‘What? You managed to find me in this giant crowd? You’re far stronger than I gave you credit for,’ May gasped as her sapphire eyes fell on the pokémon which had appeared before her, grabbing her hands in its own smooth white ones. She felt tears sting at her eyes as it nodded at her, its small, white face beaming up at her. 

‘Ralts, ralts ralts!’ It grinned up at her, its green hair covering its eyes perfectly, though May knew it felt her joy at seeing her brother and his partner pokémon after far too long time apart. 

‘Hi Ralts, it’s great to see you too,’ May grinned down before petting its head softly, enjoying the soft purr which came from the small pokémon.

Almost immediately, she heard three different people gasp before three shadows rushed forward and stood before her, causing the crowd around her to revert into a stunned silence, apparently star struck by their close encounter with the famous trio.

Her heart pounding as she heard the crowd whisper in shock, May looked up at the trio and offered a weak smile. Honestly, she didn’t know if she could handle another public chastising, but Ralts had seemed extremely pleased to see her. She anxiously fidgeted with her shirt as she focused on the stunned expression of her younger brother, her own starter pokémon touching her shoulder in a soothing manner, reminding her that he was there for her. 

‘May!’ Her brother’s voice whispered at her, his expression filled with surprise.

‘Hi there, little brother. Congratulations on your promotion,’ May grinned at her sibling, unable to suppress her joy.

‘M-May, you’re really here!’ Max gasped, shocking her by the tearfulness in his voice. His black eyes were shimmering with tears as he sent her shaky smile.

‘Max, what’s wrong?’ May responded as she gently moved his bluish black hair away from his face. He may be taller than her, but he would always be her baby brother, and when something made him cry, she’d do her best to fight it. 

‘I didn’t think I’d ever see you out of Sootopolis!’ He responded before pulling her up, over the barricades and crushing her in a tight hug. Neither sibling appeared to notice as the crowd surrounding them was silently observing their emotional reunion, nor a hooded figure watching them, their face hidden from all by the hood of a teal coloured jacket. 

‘Hey, save some for me!’ Solana’s soft voice glared in faux anger as she gently pushed the brother and sister duo apart. May found herself blinking back tears of her own as she laughed at her friend’s indignant pout.

‘Solana, it’s been far too long,’ the brunette grinned in response before hugging the young woman tightly.

‘You can say that again,’ Solana grinned before pulling away from her friend and not so subtly pushing Jackie towards her.

‘Jackie,’ May grinned at him, holding her arms out for him to hug. The man rolled his eyes slightly before pulling her into a hug, ignoring the coos from the crowd behind them.

‘It’s great to see you, May. When Max told us you weren’t leaving Petalburg and then you’d moved to Sootopolis without a plan to move on, we were all quite worried,’ Jackie whispered in her ear. They pulled apart and May could see that his dark green eyes filled with concern. It left her feeling touched at his concern, and once again extremely guilty for worrying others so. 

‘I know, but Harley made me come to my senses somewhat,’ May grinned as she turned to see her friends standing where she’d been, looking equally perplexed at her position on the other side of the barricade.

‘Harley?’ Max choked out, his expression completely bewildered as he flicked his eyes from his naïve sister to the manipulative man in the Banette costume.

‘So what, pipsqueak, I can do a good deed too, you know!’ Harley snapped, stomping his foot in anger, apparently having noticed the younger man’s suspicions.

‘Whoa, calm down, there’s no need to be so angry,’ Lucas responded, his expression filled with a bewildered alarm as he took a cautious step away from the eccentric man. He seemed flustered and unsure of how to react to the unusual scene, leaving May wanting to burst into a fit of giggles. 

However, suppressing the instinctive response to giggle, May knew that it would only incite the man, as much as Lucas’ evident fear would too. Dawn’s pleading eyes beside the duo reiterated to her that she needed to save everyone from the impeding tirade.

‘Hey Harley, come over the fence, I’m sure my friends would love to meet you!’ She blurted out, desperate for a distraction to prevent the impeding rant. She ignored Max’s distraught expression, knowing he would understand her motives perfectly.

‘Oooh, meet the great Jack Walker? Don’t mind if I do, hon!’ Harley winked before jumping the barricade with a theatrical extravagance. Seeing the confidence with which his feet landed on solid ground, May could not help but feel a little envious of the man’s superior balance. 

‘Count me in!’ Dawn grinned before also jumping the structure. When her cousin stood frozen, she rolled her eyes and pinched his nose, making him shake his head in a somewhat fazed fashion and follow suit. 

‘Let’s carry on with this procession!’ Spenser called before marching on ahead, subtly sending a nod to a brightly coloured hooded figure, who responded by placing their hands in their pockets and hiding in the crowd, a pink haired woman smiling at their exchange as she, too, followed the man. 

‘Where are we going?’ May questioned as she walked beside her brother, their little group in the centre of the procession, completely unaware of the now hidden figure’s presence. 

‘Just to this area’s base,’ Solana explained in a clipped manner as she walked side by side with Dawn, apparently having given up on walking beside Jackie whilst Harley was in their company. 

Judging by her unimpressed tone, May knew that she did not approve of Harley’s attempts at gushing over an extremely stony Jackie, who appeared to be doing his best not to respond to the younger man. Considering the other groups around them, May realised that the three rangers should probably be leading their group onward. 

Subtly nudging her brother to go on ahead, May called to her purple haired friend, ‘Harley, do you think you could remind me of the basics of contests again? I’m afraid that my memory is a little rusty.’

Immediately, the man turned back to grab her arm in his own before almost hollering his overenthusiastic response, ‘Why of course I’ll tell you everything I know, hon! Leave it to me, and you’ll definitely win this year’s Top Coordinator title at last!’

‘Sure thing,’ May grinned at the man as she saw Dawn roll her eyes at his antics. 

Biting back a smile, she listened as Harley listed the importance of contests, not just for beauty, but also ingenuity and determination.

Feeling relieved that the man could talk faster than a motorboat could float, May followed the troupe until they reached a small, modest building with walls that were rendered white. Its red roof was covered with grass, which offered not only an improved insulation, but also vegetation and a home for a small flock of Starly. 

‘Wow, this is gorgeous!’ Dawn gasped as she rushed ahead to have a closer look at the building.

‘It’s unique, I’ll give it that,’ Harley muttered as he glanced at the building with a pained expression.

‘It’s beautiful,’ May agreed with her friend, having never seen anything like it before. She wondered how Brock would have reacted to the unusual sight. 

‘That’s a typical ranger base in Almia,’ Lucas grinned, his expression filled with pride as his gaze flickered from May’s expression to Dawn’s. He didn’t notice as Max frowned at him with clear displeasure, nor Harley’s obvious glower.

‘If you think this is gorgeous, you should visit our headquarters with Max sometime,’ Solana grinned, placing a hand casually on her hip as she scratched Plusle’s ear softly. On her other shoulder, Minun pouted at being ignored whilst Blaziken jumped up onto the roof of the building.

‘Blaziken, that’s not your home!’ May called, though she smiled at her starter pokémon’s childlike reaction. The Starly, likewise, seemed surprised by his movements and called out in alarm. 

‘May, I must admit that you have raised your Blaziken well,’ Jackie mused as he watched the pokémon’s movements, which were not only quick, but powerful. 

‘Thank you,’ May blushed, focusing her attention on her feet. To have Jackie compliment her pokémon was a great commendation. He’d been strong, capable and confident when she’d first met him, something she’d always aspired for. If Brendan had heard of her thoughts, he’d have teased her immensely, even if it was all false. Neither man didn’t hold a candle to Drew, but then, no one ever did. She’d spent years pining for the man, but she knew she’d blown any chance with him, if she’d ever even had one. And the one time she decided to give another a chance, they were more compatible as friends. 

Considering her memories of the chartreuse haired man, she felt something stab at her heart. He’d always been too perfect for the likes of her, achieving goals far faster and better than she ever could. While Harley had given her some hope that he wasn’t with the blonde from the images she’d seen, she couldn’t help but feel as though she’d always be cursed with unrequited love. At least now she had a chance to prove herself to him—no, to the world. 

‘Chin up,’ Dawn’s soft voice whispered in her ear, pulling her out of her thoughts.

Blinking back tears she hadn’t noticed were forming, May sent the woman who was one of her closest friends a small smile. Trust Dawn to notice her pain and remind her where she was. She felt the woman snake her hand into her own to offer May’s hand a tight squeeze.

‘I think I’m tired from the journey, is there a Pokémon Centre near here I can sleep in?’ May asked, feigning a yawn. She saw her brother frown at her and knew the man wasn’t fooled, though she reassured him with a sheepish smile of her own. 

‘Nonsense, you’re not staying in a Pokémon Centre, stay with us!’ A bulky man roared as he walked out of the building, his crew cut hair drawing attention to his striking blue eyes. 

‘Ummm, are you sure?’ May questioned, poking her fingers together nervously. She didn’t like relying on hospitality of strangers, not if there was a Pokémon Centre nearby. Besides, the man’s strong muscles intimidated her somewhat.

‘No need to worry about it, the name’s Barlow. Any friend of Max’s is a friend of me too,’ the man chuckled before clasping her younger brother’s shoulder in a tight grip.

Watching her brother wince at the contact, she responded anxiously, ‘Well, thank you, I suppose.’

‘Come on in,’ He grinned before leading her into a well lit room, its light blue tiles reflecting the lights from the ceiling. The walls were an off white, and appeared to be well looked after. 

In the back of the room, in the far right corner, was a white line of cabinets with a bright red counters. A woman stood behind the counter in a business like suit, causing May to suspect her to be an Operator who aided Rangers based on their knowledge at hand. 

On the other side of the back room was a heap of metallic, mechanical mess. In the middle of it was a woman in overalls, breaking apart what appeared to be a giant computer, a gold band glinting on her ring finger as she poked her tongue out in concentration.

‘Hey, Elaine, we’ve got company so keep the noise down!’ Barlow shouted at her, though he followed it with a booming laugh which resonated around the walls.

‘Company?’ A tall, skinny man questioned, walking into the room from a previously unnoticed door in the middle of the back wall. May glanced at him, noticing not only his Ranger uniform, but also his dark brown hair, which was styled around his head in a giant afro. 

‘Is anyone in the base in Vientown?’ Max questioned as he glared between the people in the building, apparently annoyed by their sudden appearance.

‘Relax, Luana is tending to the needs of people there,’ the newcomer laughed, running a hand along the leaves of a Budew which had followed him into the room. 

Seeing the grass and poison pokémon made May wince as she once again found herself forcing memories of Drew out of her mind. She wouldn’t give the man a chance to throw her into yet another depression. It had been bad enough when she’d silently wanted him to visit her in Petalburg whilst she was Gym Leader there. Of course, he’d never come, so she knew his desires had nothing to do with her being by his side. 

‘Well, who are you?’ The brunette frowned as Elaine stepped up from her destruction, her short brown hair somewhat controlled by the red goggles she moved from her eyes up to her hair. 

‘Hi, I’m May, these are my friends Harley, Dawn and Dawn’s cousin, Lucas,’ May smiled in response, pointing at each of her companions in turn.

‘You from Hoenn, huh?’ Elaine grinned, her black gloved hand clinging onto a monkey wrench, as she left the large metal contraption behind her, heading towards them. 

‘Yes, so is Harley, Dawn is from Sinnoh,’ May responded, her expression becoming slightly strained. The woman, whilst friendly enough, still appeared somewhat intimidating, though her knowing smirk increased upon noticing Max’s angry glower.

‘Leave my sister alone, will you?’ Max growled, pushing the woman in a surprisingly rough manner.

‘I knew it!’ She laughed, hitting Max’s arm with the heavy tool, though her brother, to his credit, barely flinched.

‘You, me and everyone else in the room knew it!’ Max retorted, a slight flush filling his cheeks. His anger caught May by surprise. Whilst puberty had rendered her brother an irritable know-it-all, she’d found his temper had calmed down by him reaching adulthood. Now, witnessing his anger at his colleague, she struggled to contain her shock at her brother’s uncharacteristic retort with this particular stranger.

‘What is going on?’ May frowned as she glanced at Barlow, Jackie and Solana in clear confusion. Her brother was usually not this angry, and it concerned her to see him so inexplicably furious.

‘Those two have a strong rivalry going since Elaine made the mistake of babying him once he was delegated to our base. After he pulled a prank on her with a few of the Squirtle from the nearby forest, she didn’t make that mistake again,’ Barlow chuckled as he ruffled Max’s hair in a fatherly manner.

‘Hey, it was not a mistake!’ Elaine hollered, moving the throw the monkey wrench at the formidable man who seemed completely unfazed by her movement.

‘No, Elaine!’ The unnamed brunette man scowled, grabbing the tool from her hand before sighing in relief.

Noticing the stunned expressions of the others, he chuckled nervously, using the wrench to scratch his back anxiously. 

When no one made a move to prevent the suddenly awkward silence, he explained, ‘The name’s Crawford, and I don’t think you want to witness Elaine’s notorious temper right now. From personal experience, I would like to warn everyone against enraging her unnecessarily.’

Someone chuckled behind them as another group of people entered the building, ‘Smart move, Crawford. No one wants to witness an angry Elaine, ever.’

‘Kellyn’s right, she’s notorious for her anger,’ The brunette woman chuckled as she casually leaned on his shoulder, her Pachirisu jumping from her head to his as his Munchlax scratched its back before sniffing May’s pockets hopefully.

‘Your Munchlax is really strong,’ May complimented the man as she fished a pokéblock from her pocket. Immediately, the big eater pokémon nuzzled her hand, encouraging her to release one of the blocks of pokémon food. With a small smile, she offered him one of her specially made May’s Purple Surprise, which was formulated for her own Munchlax. 

The others gaped as the small pokémon ate the tiny cube, his stomach inflating almost immediately before he started to snooze happily on the ground.

‘He ate the pokéblock! Unbelievable, your Munchlax is the pickiest I’ve ever encountered, and he just ate hers!’ The brunette whispered to her companion, who was equally surprised as they watched the big eater pokémon snore slightly.

‘I agree with you, Munchlax. I could really use my bed,’ May giggled nervously, wanting peace more than anything as she petted the pokémon’s head softly. 

‘I’ll show you the dorm,’ Elaine grinned before slapping Crawford’s arm away, ignoring the stunned expressions of the other rangers at seeing the pokémon’s appetite so easily combatted.

As the three younger women moved to follow her, she called, ‘By the way, Crawford, put that monkey wrench in the wrong place, and not even your Budew’s aromatherapy can save you from the pain you’ll suffer by me.’

Glancing back at the group of men surrounding Solana, May noticed the man’s blood had drained from his face. Solana, appearing to have noticed her female companions were leaving, scurried after them with a subtle wink at May.

Walking past the blue curtain, May let out a gasp at the spacious team room, with black leather couch, a red carpet and the latest TV hanging on the wall. On one side of the room was a dormitory for men, on the other was one for women. On the far wall was a door, which May suspected lead to a kitchen. Max had told her more about being a ranger than either of the siblings lead on, and May was grateful that her bond with her brother was so close.

‘Follow me,’ Elaine grinned before walking into another room, revealing numerous queen sized beds with various colours of sheets on them. 

Entering the room, May took a seat on a red bed, the curly haired woman joining her on the bed before muttering, ‘The name’s Kate, it’s a pleasure to finally meet the sister Max always gushes about.’

‘Oh, I’m not too sure that he’s said a lot of positive things about me, but it’s nice to meet you too. He’s told me so much about everyone, that it’s nice to finally put faces to names.’ May blushed, scratching her cheek nervously as Dawn took a seat on the blue bed beside May’s, her eyes focused on the two’s discussion.

‘Please, he told us about how you rose to the challenge of being a Gym Leader and encouraging him to go on his dream. Not many people would have done that if they were in your position, you know. Besides, we’re all family in the Ranger Union, so there’s no need for any modesty. What you did gave your brother a great chance, and it meant he worked all the harder to reach the coveted position of Top Ranger,’ Elaine lectured, placing a firm hand on May’s shoulder, her brown eyes piercing May’s blue as she towered over the younger woman.

‘I just did what I had to. Both of us didn’t need to sacrifice our dreams because of one unfortunate event. What kind of sister would I have been if I’d left him there to look after everything? It was better to just put my own dreams to rest so he could live for the both of us,’ May shrugged as she felt Blaziken follow them into the room, sitting cross legged on the cream carpet. 

‘You didn’t sacrifice your dream, you delayed it,’ Dawn growled, uncharacteristically angered by her chipper friend’s abnormal gloom.

‘Did I?’ May whispered as her thoughts flew to Drew. Sure, her main goal had always been to be a Top Coordinator, but losing him as part of her support network had left a gaping hole in her heart that she hadn’t been able to fulfil. Not with Steven, Brendan or Max. Could it be that her irksome, arrogant rival meant more to her than she’d ever acknowledged? No, she wouldn’t acknowledge loving the man, not if she could help it. Sometimes, she’d slip, and that would send her into an even larger depression. 

Pushing aside those thoughts, she noticed her companions staring at her in clear confusion. Where her new acquaintances appeared completely perplexed, Solana’s expression was contemplative.

Dawn, however, was already hiding her head in a plump, blue cushion, unsuccessfully trying to smother her rather boisterous giggles.

‘What are you laughing at?’ May yelled at her friend, an angry flush filling her cheeks.

‘Please! We all know it’s Drew! You’re finally showing your affections for him! May I’m so proud of you! You’re no longer hiding behind denial, just like Misty!’ Dawn squealed at her friend, no longer bothering to hide her laughter. 

Watching their companions blink in surprise, Dawn continued her overjoyed ramble, ‘It’s so cute how obvious you two are! Can you just get over your pride and talk to each other already! I’ve been shipping you two since you mentioned him to me and I want you to hurry up and get married already!’

‘Dawn!’ May gasped, blanching at her friend’s blatant betrayal of her secrets. Feeling her anger rise inside her, she snapped back, ‘Well at least I’m not yoyo-ing between turnip head Paul or whipped Kenny! Just pick one already!’

‘Oh, that was a low blow! You know that Kenny’s been demanding that I see him, but it just doesn’t feel right!’ Dawn gasped back, throwing her pillow at her friend, who squeaked as she deflected it.

‘So was talking about wedding bells for me and a certain Oddish head!’ May whispered, pouting childishly.

‘Sorry, May, I should have considered your feelings before I blabbed that,’ Dawn sighed before jumping off her bed and pulling her brunette friend into a tight hug.

‘Care to explain what’s going on?’ Kate frowned, scratching her head in confusion.

The two friends glanced at each other before grimacing shyly, not wanting to explain either of their thoughts.

‘Kate, what you’re witnessing is how adorable first love can be,’ Elaine mused, her eyes sparkling in delight.

‘I remember feeling that sense of love once,’ Solana grinned, rubbing her lips thoughtfully.

‘What happened?’ Kate questioned, her mouth pulled in a slight smirk.

‘You’re far too young for that, now I’ll get us all some dinner before we call it a night,’ Solana grinned, petting the younger brunette’s cheek softly before walking out of the room.  
 


	7. Chapter 6

The next morning, May had awoken with a slight yawn before she’d encouraged her pokémon through their daily training routine and stumbled her way into the shared bathroom when it was all completed. Going through her morning routine, she’d been on autopilot before she found herself climbing out of the shower. Taking her hairbrush out of her toiletries bag, May quickly brushed her hair before pulling it into its ponyta-tail. Checking her face in the mirror, she frowned at the freckles she saw, and the bags under her eyes. However, knowing that she wasn’t an expert with makeup like Dawn, she didn’t bother applying anything other than her daily facial cream and sunscreen. 

With a soft smile, she placed everything back away and rushed out to see her friends were slowly stirring. Not waiting for them to wake, May crept out of the room as silently as she could. Still startled by how well lit the foyer was, May left a message with the Operator to inform her companions she went outside to train before she walked casually out of the base.

Stretching slightly, May enjoyed the sensation shooting through her back before she continued to walk. Humming softly, the brunette woman glanced around at the cheerful people who were smiling at her. With a brief nod of greeting, May was about to start exploring Pueltown when she felt an arm sling around her shoulder with unusual confidence. 

Blinking, she turned to see Max grinning at her, ‘while it’s great to see you finally leaving your broken shell, sis, I’ve got to admit, you’re not the same twelve year old who separated from Ash and Brock. Do you honestly think none of us would notice?’

‘I know, Max,’ May sighed as she stared into her brother’s knowing gaze. She’d done her best to hide it from him, but her brother was as quick as ever. There wasn’t any way he’d missed her downcast moments the day before, and she’d been foolish to think he might have.

‘How long?’ He frowned in his unusually deep voice. His sister grimaced, knowing he was asking about her feelings for the man who had once been her fiercest rival.

‘I don’t know, for as long as I can remember. Maybe since I’d met him,’ she whispered, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. This conversation was long overdue, especially since Misty and Dawn had assumed her feelings, albeit, correctly. At least her brother had a right to tease her. After all, he’d been there for half of her encounters with Drew. It was a small comfort that the green haired man wasn’t around to hear this awkward conversation; that would definitely have killed her.

To her surprise, she found her brother’s arms engulf her in a tight hug as he let out a shaky breath.

‘M-Max?’ She whispered as she gingerly returned the hug, so shocked by his reaction that she did not see the brightly clad figure from the previous day hiding behind a nearby building.

‘You have no idea how long I was waiting for you to admit that,’ Max whispered in her ear as he pressed his forehead onto her shoulder.

‘Was I that obvious?’ May grimaced as she pulled away from him, trying her best to hide her pout.

‘Yes, just about the only person who didn’t know was you. Even Steven came to realise it after he saw the way you ogled Drew’s image on that magazine with the exclusive interview,’ Max chuckled as he watched his sister flush.

‘Steven knew?’ She squeaked, her blue eyes wide with horror. How could she even think of facing the man after she found out he knew of her deceit. She’d been convincing herself slowly that any guilt she felt was countered by his ignorance. Now, though, that argument was clearly no longer valid, and it left her feeling gutted. It had never been her intention to hurt the man.

‘Yes, and he forgave you because he was doing the same,’ Max chucked as he noticed his sister’s horrified expression.

‘What? With who?’ She whispered, blinking in shock. While it was a relief to hear that her guilt was, unusually, reciprocated by the light blue haired man; she couldn’t help but feel slightly affronted that he’d been seeing her whilst his heart was captured by another.

‘Heard of the Champion of Sinnoh?’ Max grinned back, relieved that his sister didn’t seem angered by this revelation.

‘Cynthia? I suppose I can see them happening. Well, I wish them all the best of luck,’ May grinned at her brother, ignoring the hollowness which filled her stomach. After all, whilst she could see the two Champions being with each other, she couldn’t see herself with the man she was so childishly pining after. What was it about that Oddish brain that kept her so intrigued? She couldn’t figure it out.

‘Don’t get your hopes up, they’re both extremely reserved. And you know how long it took him to admit his feelings for you,’ Max chuckled as he saw the ghost of his sister’s truly chipper smile return. 

‘Yes, though if I recall correctly it was because he thought Team Aqua and Team Magma had killed me,’ May giggled, her blue eyes sparkling at the memories of her ex’s horror. 

‘Let me guess, “it was worth it”, right?’ Max groaned as he hid his face in his hand.

With a cheerful giggle, May nodded.

‘So how are you two, you know, coping with this strange turn of events?’ Her brother frowned as he watched his sister’s clear elation, no doubt a result of their reunion. 

‘Steven and I are fine. No, actually, we’re more than fine. He’s still my rock, but now also my best friend, like Brendan,’ May smiled as she clasped her hands behind her back, walking beside her friend. 

‘And what about this Lucas guy?’ The dark haired man frowned, his tone filled with an angry disapproval May hadn’t heard before.

Blinking, May took a moment to digest the question before whispering, ‘I suppose he’s a bit like Syd. I’d want to be friends, but it probably wouldn’t work out.’

‘So you and Syd don’t talk anymore?’ Max grimaced as he watched May’s gaze turn troubled as they walked closer to a hooded figure, whose face was hidden in shadows.

‘No, not since he found out about Steven and myself,’ May shrugged before letting out an eager gasp.

The hooded, teal figure stiffened slightly, glancing their way. Upon noticing May’s eyes were glued to a nearby restaurant, the figure visibly eased their posture, apparently relieved by her easily distracted nature. 

‘Let me guess, you’ve always wanted to try Jerry’s Pancakes?’ Max groaned as his sister grabbed his uniform’s sleeve and pulled him into the small café which was before them. 

‘Hi, can I have a table for two please?’ May beamed at the cheerful assistant.

‘Take a seat wherever you want, we’ll bring the menus out to you,’ the light green haired woman smiled as she took two menus from her counter.

Taking a seat in a four seater booth by the window, May barely noticed a dark pink haired woman enter the café with a soft smile. Walking towards the duo, she placed her hands in her pockets and smiled, ‘Hello, May, you had me quite worried.’

‘Solidad!’ May gasped before jumping out of her seat and tackling the woman in a tight hug.

‘I’ve missed you too, May,’ the woman smiled, her light blue eyes softening as she wrapped an arm around her younger friend.

‘How have you been?’ May questioned as she ushered her friend into a seat beside her.

‘Well, I’ve been busy, I can say that with certainty,’ Solidad smiled as her gaze lingered on Max’s Top Ranger uniform. 

‘How’s the dig going?’ May questioned as she gazed at her friend, an eager smile filling her lips. 

‘Well, Gary’s been pushing us, that’s for sure. He’s quite the taskmaster, that man,’ Solidad chuckled as the waitress arrived at their table.

‘May I take your drinks, please?’ The woman smiled, a notepad and pen in hand. 

‘I’ll have a skinny mocha with two sugars please,’ May asked, smiling up at the woman from her seat beside her friend. 

‘Long black, please,’ Max smiled up at her as well, though her gaze lingered on his uniform longer than necessary.

‘And for me, I’ll take a flat white, thank you,’ Solidad spoke calmly, waiting for the woman to disappear before turning her attention to Max, ‘I hear congratulations are in order?’

‘Oh, I was lucky and managed to help set out a fire in the forest,’ Max chuckled nervously.

‘Please, you deserved it, and you know it, lil bro! I’m so proud of you, after all, you also saved Cresellia from that Dusknoir and Claydol group, then there was the Snover stuck in that volcano, do I need to continue?’ May chastised, her blue eyes glowering in an anger she didn’t really feel.

‘If I didn’t save them, Crawford would have. Arceus knows, the man deserves to be a Top Ranger too,’ Max muttered bitterly.

‘And that’s for Arceus to work on. Crawford isn’t bitter about your promotion, so stop taking it so moodily. Besides, you’ve achieved much more than everyone else from your class,’ May grinned at her brother, proud of his achievements. 

‘What about you? I hear dad’s been struggling to keep up to your name when you were a Leader. Steven was taken by you for a reason,’ Max grinned back, rolling his eyes as his sister poked her tongue out at him. 

‘Next you’ll be saying that Wally is taken by me too!’ May groaned, not seeing her brother’s guilty expression.

‘Hey, if all else fails, you could always become a Ranger too,’ her brother grinned at her, noticing Solidad’s bemused expression as the siblings bantered back and forth, appearing to have recovered from May’s sudden appearance in Almia.

‘What gives you that idea?’ May questioned, clearly surprised by her brother’s thoughts and unspoken praise.

‘You bonded with Manaphy so easily, have a way with making your pokémon shine. Besides, does the Temple of the Sea mean anything to you? What about the mysterious events that happened in the Cave of Origin? They’re mysterious because you and the League won’t tell anyone about it, which makes me think that your role was more significant than you let off. Then of course there’s everything that happened after it, including your secret battle with Steven. May, travelling with Ash gave us the wits we needed to get out of many an unrealistically dangerous situation. Being around Brock meant we learnt the required first aid skills for not only our pokémon, but ourselves. Surely you’ve noticed that?’ Max questioned, noticing Solidad’s wince at Brock’s name, though his sister seemed as oblivious to that as her own feelings towards the chartreuse haired man years ago.

‘Manaphy,’ May whispered as she glanced out of the window, considering her blue prince.

‘You miss him, don’t you?’ Max questioned, his gaze softening at her pause.

‘Of course I do, every day,’ May whispered as her brother took something blue out of his pocket and placed it on the table before her.

Blinking, she realised it was the bracelet Lizabeth had given her, a small bracelet made with various pieces which were called the mark of the People of the Water. She’d thought she’d lost it when she hid it in her room upon her father’s first hospitalisation, when she realised she’d not be able to go back on her journey. 

‘Take it, if not for myself, then for Lizbeth and her family, and as a memento of Jackie and that prince of yours,’ Max smiled as he held it out to his sister, his gaze unusually soft.

Blinking, she hesitantly reached for the blue bracelet, trying not to remember how few of them remained in the world. With shaky hands, she put the bracelet on her right wrist, whispering, ‘All I need now is one of my bandanas and I’ll be truly happy.’

‘Why don’t you wear a bandana anymore?’ Solidad frowned, deciding she wasn’t interrupting the sibling’s moment to ask the question which had been plaguing her for a while.

‘It’s no longer a habit, I suppose,’ May shrugged slightly as her brother grinned, ‘we could get you a blue one, if you want? It might just match that bracelet of yours, though I think we’d need Dawn’s advice on any other accessories.’

‘I’d rather want my old red one over a brand new blue one,’ May muttered as she plucked at her red top, reminiscing her original trainer’s outfit.

‘Why, to rekindle memories of your first meeting with someone?’ Max teased with an evil smirk, perfectly aware of the kind of reaction his taunt would receive from his sister.

Glowering, May sent a well-aimed kick at her brother before stating, ‘yes, for my first meeting my fair prince, who did you think?’

Feeling a sense of satisfaction as he winced, May’s joy was short lived as the waitress came back. In a soft voice, she asked, ‘may I take your order?’

‘Ummm, I’ll take the pecha pancakes please,’ May grinned before Max glowered, ‘I’ll have the passho cream pancake.’

‘And I’ll take the pinap pancake, please,’ Solidad smiled softly before handing the two menus back to the waitress.

Once she was gone, Solidad glanced between the siblings before frowning, ‘so, how many people do you still talk to?’

‘Well, I bumped into Brianna on the way here, and I sent her a message with my Xtransceiver contact details, though I’m not sure that counts since I haven’t seen her in years. And Harley came to my ‘rescue’ after he was with you. Honestly though, Dawn, Misty, Serena, Iris, Ash, and Brock are the only ones I see every so often, other than Wallace, Steven, Brendan, Wally and you. Considering I see most of them maybe once or twice a year, that’s not many people,’ May shrugged sheepishly at the woman.

‘That’s more than me, which is saying something for our self-labelled recluse,’ Solidad smiled down at the brunette, still taller than her, despite May’s growth spurt from puberty.

‘What? How many people do you talk to?’ May questioned, sharing a bewildered glance with her brother.

‘Well there’s a few people who I work with. I think you may know of Gary, he’s friends with someone called Ash, and I think it’s the same Ash you travelled with. I still talk to Drew, Nando, Harley, of course but other than that, I just spend most of my time with my work,’ Solidad smiled softly at her friend, her gaze not in the least diminished by the smaller group.

‘I don’t know if I know Gary, but Ash has so many friends from all of his travels that I kind of find it hard to keep up. Of course, you’re right, as usual. You don’t seem to talk to many people, but it’s not quantity, but quality, that matters. How are Drew and Nando?’ May questioned, hoping that her expression was neutral. The last thing she needed was for her pink haired friend to notice her nervousness about news of Drew.

‘Nando is well, filling concerts with the songs he’s created with his pokémon. As for Drew, he’s immersed himself in work. He’s been assigned a special project, though we’re not supposed to know about it. I have my suspicions as to what it is, but I can’t disclose that information. Before you ask if he’ll be on this journey, I’m not too sure. He stated he was waiting for something, though I’m clueless as to what,’ Solidad smiled, noticing May’s anxiety at hearing Drew’s workaholic ways. Unbeknownst to the brunette, her friend shared a knowing glance with Max, though both felt troubled as they saw May hide in her shell.

‘Well, at least they’re both working hard for their goals, that’s what matters,’ May smiled as the coffees came to their table, courtesy of the chipper green haired woman.

The rest of their meal passed by in silence, with May smiling at the waitress who brought out her pancake and eating it down without a word.

Once they were all finished, she left the café and went to find a secluded place to train, oblivious to the concerns of her companions.


	8. Chapter 7

‘Come on, Skitty, use blizzard!’ May called as Munchlax rushed forward, his right hand glowing with an all mighty focus punch. As a Gym Leader, she’d done her best to improve her pokémon’s learned moves. Whilst there was some limitations with individual pokémon’s memories and such, she’d managed to do quite well. Not only had their move’s precision improved, but also their execution. Besides, she was pleased that she’d significantly improved their general statistics, furthering her bond by training with them every morning. 

Though she was doing her best, improving her pokémon wasn’t her only goal. She herself was striving to learn more about pokémon, improving alongside them when possible. It lead her to consult others who were experts in their field until she was confident herself that her pokémon were well on their way to reaching their potential. Even Munchlax wasn’t sleeping as often as some of his counterparts after she’d consulted Brock and Professor Oak for an improved version of May’s Purple Surprise. When she wanted to, she could learn and improve drastically, not only for her pokéblock, but also herself. Though, she still did enjoy her childish antics, nothing was going to change that.

It was early in the day, but May had rushed off to a secluded area just outside of the town to help her pokémon figure out their contest debut. Whilst she had the basics of the idea, the execution required a bit more practice. It was one of the reasons why she'd chosen the area near the newly built Pokémon Centre, which had a battle field and facilities hidden by carefully placed hedges. Lamp posts littered the area to offer strategic light at night. 

Skitty called her name, returning May’s attention to the matter at hand. Shaking her head slightly, she focused on her smaller pink pokémon to see her letting loose a powerful blizzard, right at Munchlax’s waiting fist. However, rather than bouncing off it like she’d hoped, fusing with the normal type move, it simply froze her pokemon’s hand. 

‘Oh, not again,’ May sighed as she picked up her pink pokémon, who seemed equally perturbed as her. This was the fourth time they'd tried the appeal and it didn't look like it was going to improve any time soon. 

‘Munch, munchlax!’ Her teal coloured pokémon cried, looking completely dejected as it stumbled over to her, its expression downcast.

‘It’s not your fault, guys; you tried your best, and that's all I can ask from you. Besides, we’ll get it soon enough,’ May smiled at her pokémon, petting them both on the head softly. After all, they’d both tried their hardest to create the appeal, she just had to find a strategy that would work for them. Appeals with two pokémon were harder to create than appeals with just one, and May was really beginning to struggle with Almia’s requirement of two pokémon in the appeals round.

‘May, hon, what are you trying to do?’ Harley frowned, surprising her by appearing seemingly out of nowhere. Glancing at his perfectly manicured fingers, he casually leaned on a nearby lamp post whilst waiting for her disappointed response.

‘We were trying to get an appeal sorted, but it kind of didn’t work,’ May whispered as she recalled both of her distraught pokémon into their pokéballs. 

‘Never mind, hon, there’s always next time,’ Harley grinned, surprising her by how chipper he could be. In the years that they'd been rivals, he'd never shown her this side of himself. 

‘I suppose,’ May frowned as she walked beside him, unaware of the things he was continuing to say to her, words of encouragement she didn't want to hear.

She knew it was rude to ignore the man, but she just couldn’t figure out why that move wouldn’t work. From her experience, and from what she had heard from Ash and Dawn, the moves should collide and create a new, unseen fusion move. The two seemed compatible from her deductions, it wasn’t like it was an electric and ground move.

‘And Drew said he’d try to come a little later in our journey, though he’s not too sure if he’ll be competing or not,’ Harley was rambling, taking May completely by surprise.

‘Drew is coming?’ May whispered, blinking at her friend in disbelief. Solidad had only just told her that there was uncertainty on whether he would come, how had Harley attained more information than the pink haired woman?

‘Of course he is, sweetpea,’ Harley giggled as they reached the front of the Pokémon Centre where Solidad was staying. To her relief, he seemed completely oblivious of her having ignored him. She wasn't exactly subtle, but at least Harley hadn't picked up her subconscious hints for once.

Hearing this, May focused her attention on her pokéballs. If he was coming, then she’d have to perfect some appeals soon. There was no way she’d let him see how much she was struggling with the basics, especially after the constant grilling and teasing whenever she encountered him in the past. The problem was, whilst she was on struggle street, she knew he was already on the highway, racing ahead of her so she'd never catch up. 

‘Yoohoo! Solidad, where are you?’ Harley called in his surprisingly delicate voice, drawing the attention of many of the Pokémon Centre’s visitors, including the young brunette by his side.

‘Here Harley,’ Solidad smiled from one of the phone booths, apparently in discussion with a rather attractive man, whose mahogany hair stuck out at odd angles, his dark viridian eyes intent upon Harley from the screen. The man, to his credit, only looked mildly bemused, though May was certain he seemed familiar, though she had forgotten where. Had he been a challenger at her gym? If Solidad was talking to him, could he possibly be another aspiring Top Coordinator?

‘Oooh, who’s the hunk, hon? Have you been holding out on me again?’ Harley grinned, nudging Solidad in a suggestive manner as he nearly pushed her off her perch before the computer.

‘Harley, this is Gary, Gary, this is Harley and that’s May over there,’ Solidad smiled politely, only seeming slightly embarrassed by Harley’s antics as he seemed to lean into the screen, apparently inspecting the stranger’s physique as close as possible.

‘May?’ Gary frowned as he focused his gaze on her, apparently having grown accustomed to Harley’s abnormalities quicker than the average human. As she hesitantly walked towards her friends, she offered them a tentative smile.

The expression that formed on the mahogany haired man’s face upon seeing her triggered May’s memory. Unfortunately, she now recalled exactly where she had encountered him, and the memory did not please her. 

‘Oh, hi Gary,’ May offered anxiously, trying to suppress her first memory of the man. She'd never From her rant towards Ash after meeting the mahogany haired man, he’d cheerfully chuckled and stated the arrogant smart arse was his neighbour and childhood friend. From how her friend had described the man, she’d found it hard to believe that the caring, coercive and encouraging man was the same the man who’d taunted her for tripping into him, especially when it hadn’t been her fault.

‘May, this is a surprise. You still walking on your two feet?’ Gary chuckled, his expression becoming goading as he spoke. Clearly luck wasn’t on her side if the man was already referencing their first encounter. The news did not please May one bit, in fact, it irritated her. 

‘Hey, I’ll have you know that it was you who walked in front of me! I was preoccupied at the time, all right?’ May retorted, her anger rising at the clear bait. 

‘Wow, you really are easy to incite,’ Gary smirked, appearing unaffected by May’s impeding anger.

‘You come over here and say that to my face!’ May roared at the screen, ignoring the others in the centre who were staring at her in clear shock. 

‘So, I take it you know each other quite well,’ Solidad smiled in a bemused manner as she glanced from one friend to another. She did not even turn to look at their other friend, who was currently dancing up and down behind them, attempting, and failing, to return the Centre’s visitors attention to their previous amusements.

‘We’ve met a few times,’ Gary smiled at the woman in a respected tone, though his gaze flickered to May in a taunting manner. No, she definitely could not understand how this infuriating man could be the same man Ash had described to her.

‘I’ll have you know that that was ‘a few times’ too many!’ May snapped back, a snarl contorting her face, though she tried her best to forgive and forget her encounters with the insufferable man. Honestly, he was worse than Drew, though she hadn’t ever thought that was possible.

‘Please, most people would kill to meet me at least once,’ Gary scoffed, crossing his eyes and glaring at May. His tone made it quite clear to her that he resented her every bit as much as she resented him. Considering she’d had the grace to apologise to him despite being in the wrong, the realisation did not appease her anger.

With a laugh, May retorted, ‘Yeah, right! I wish one of those people had met you instead of me, it would be one less worry for me to deal with!’

The man’s eyes widened at the response, and May knew she’d hit a low blow. Just what she needed, another narcissistic fool who was adamant that he was Arceus’ gift to women. At least Drew had the sense of avoiding them when required and not bragging about it, but Gary seemed another piece of work entirely.

‘Are you kidding me, the guy’s a hunk!’ Harley growled at May, his green eyes ablaze with anger. All attempts at acquiescing the trainers in the Pokémon Centre were forgotten as he charged towards the suddenly afraid brunette, whose brain desperately sought for a distraction. 

‘Harley, why are you so interested in boys all of a sudden?’ May frowned at the man, ignoring Gary’s disbelieving laugh at her question, which she'd blurted out in an attempt at distracting him. Ignoring the man on the other side of the line, May hoped her expression was perfectly innocent, though she could see Solidad bite back a smile as she watched their exchange. 

The older man, to his credit, blinked in response before muttering, ‘Well, I’ve heard that everyone is in a happy relationship but me. It’s quite distressing, you know. You know I’ve never wanted to be last in anything.’

‘Harley, I’m not in a relationship with anyone and I’m not fawning over every person I meet!’ May exclaimed, rolling her eyes slightly at her friend’s antics. Sometimes it was so hard to remember that she was the younger of the two. The man was just an oddity, and not always the more mature and logical of the two. 

‘Well, I do apologise but I haven’t ever found anyone I’m willing to spend my life with!’ Harley retorted hotly, his fair skin darkening with embarrassment.

‘Wait, do you mean you haven’t found anyone you’d spend your life with or are you really saying that you haven’t found someone who is willing to spend their life with you?’ Gary questioned, a smug smirk filling his face. Though he was addressing Harley, his dark eyes never left May’s expression, relishing how her face darkened with anger.

‘Hey! You can say what you want about me, but leave my friends out of your line of fire!’ May scowled at the brunette, who shrugged proudly in response.

‘May is right, Gary, don’t pick on Harley. I can tolerate what you’re doing to May because you two seem to know each other, but Harley is a stranger to you and has done you no wrong,’ Solidad frowned, her eyes harder than May had ever seen them before. The woman was usually pretty easy going, but she had never really tolerated bullying.

‘That’s fair, I suppose. I can always pick on that klutz anyway,’ Gary chuckled, unintentionally stabbing May’s heart by calling her the same name as Drew once had.

‘How dare you!’ May whispered, barely suppressing tears as she felt her bottom lip tremble. She didn’t truly know Gary, but he had no right to belittle her and then remind her of the man who’d forgotten about her. Whilst talking to Gary hadn't been her chosen preoccupation, May could no longer ignore the striking similarities between the man she was talking to and the emerald eyed rival she was still infuriatingly pining over. It would be so much easier if he didn't talk to her in the same way Drew had.

Sure, Drew was gone out of her life, but she didn’t need this kind of a reminder. Especially not from someone even more arrogant than the Oddish head, not that she’d ever thought that possible.

‘What?’ Gary frowned in confusion, appearing to be slightly disappointed and worried. 

‘You heard me, how dare you call me that!’ May sniffled, hating how weak she sounded, especially to this man who simply belittled her with no reason.

The man opened and closed his mouth in apparent confusion before she turned on her heel and ran out of the Pokémon Centre, leaving even her friends speechless as they digested the events which had just unfolded.


	9. Chapter 8

Rushing past the Ranger base, May did her best to suppress her tears as she ran without much of a thought. Her thoughts were consumed with loathing for the Kanto native as she rushed along, not worrying about which path she was taking. 

Soon enough, she found herself in the docks, sniffling away beside an unused computer. Hiding her head in her hands, she ignored the nearby Tyrogue who was going through the motions, practicing against some wooden crates nearby.

‘May?’ A familiar, deep voice called, as steps came closer and closer.

With a little whimper, May did her best to shrink into the wall as the steps came to a resounding halt before her. She knew her uncharacteristic misery was blatantly obvious to any who saw her, but she couldn’t suppress her tears. Remaining as still as possible, she hoped that whoever was near her had the tact to realise that she really did not want to be seen in this manner. 

‘You know, hiding your face from me isn’t going to stop anyone from seeing you,’ the familiar voice of Jack Walker sighed as she felt him crouch down beside her, his body brushing slightly against her arm as he leant on the wall beside her.

Even though she was an adult who should have known better, she still sniffled in her arms, childishly hoping he would disappear if she ignored him for long enough.

‘I know you won’t want to, but you should talk about it. Believe it or not, it will make you feel better,’ Jackie spoke softly, surprising her by his unrelenting persistence. He shifted slightly beside her, as though he was seeking a more comfortable position against the wall.

Looking up at him, she could see her face reflected in his dark green eyes, flushed and distraught. Her face was probably covered in her tears and she knew he simply had to be hiding his concern. Why else would he still be talking to her?

‘Come on, May, where is that cheerful girl who did everything in her power to help the prince of the sea?’ Jackie smiled down at her, placing a gentle hand on her arm.

With a last sniff, May whispered, ‘I just feel so alone. No matter how I look at it, I’m a failure. All of my friends are successful, paving their lives and their futures, and I can’t even help my pokémon put together a stupid appeal. Then some guy I met like once makes a comment which reminds me of my rival and I completely lose it. I’m pathetic.’

Jackie, to her surprise, stayed quiet, his expression patient as he watched her scrub her eyes with the back of her hands.

Soon enough, she found her explaining everything. Not just events after she had first met the man, but also the events before it. When she was finally through with her miserable tale, she glanced up at him with a slight anxiety. After all, she didn’t want him to think of her as a miserable failure too, even if she hated herself for being in this situation. She should have found time to nurture her pokémon’s gifts whilst she was younger.

‘May, you’re overthinking things,’ Jackie smiled at her as he wrapped a reassuring arm around her shoulder. Taking in a moment to breathe in the salty air, he continued, ‘your friends don’t see you as pathetic, they admire you. From what Max has said about you, you really improved the quality of your father’s Gym. From what he said, I think it may be one of the hardest gyms in Hoenn now, and your father is struggling to keep up with your reputation. Besides, it’s not every day someone single handedly takes on two corporations and succeeds, that takes brains, guts and ability. And before you even think of arguing with me, I’m certain that your friends are all proud of you and everything you’ve achieved so far. I saw as much when you asked Harley to remind you of the basics of contests—he looked flattered that you’d asked him. As for your appeal problems, don’t worry, it’ll come to you. Just follow what is natural, and you’ll be fine.’

Hearing this, May let out a shaky breath, taking a moment to digest her friend’s words. In a soft voice, she whispered, ‘You think so?’

‘I know so,’ Jackie grinned down at her, his eyes sparkling with a confidence May hadn’t seen in herself in far too long.

With a light laugh, May pulled the man into a tight hug, beaming, ‘thank you so much, Jackie! You’re the best!’

The man choked slightly in surprise before hesitantly wrapping his arms around her small frame. He looked uncertain of where to place them, though May did not seem to notice.

‘No, I’m not. As for your romance difficulties, when it happens, it happens. I’m still waiting for the woman of my dreams,’ Jackie smiled down at her. Releasing her from his arms, he ran a tentative hand through her hair, sending her a small smile.

Poking her tongue childishly out at him, May giggled when he retracted his hands and rolled his eyes.

‘Max is right, you’ll never grow up,’ Jackie fake groaned as May swatted his arm.

Hearing a low, screeching sound, May frowned as she glanced from one side of the pathway to the other. Feeling the previously comfortable temperature turn into a cool air of darkness as the sun’s rays were suddenly obstructed, May glanced at her companion in confusion. 

Looking up, she saw that something above them blocked out the sun, balanced precariously over the flat edge of the roof above them.

‘What the?’ Jackie frowned before clambering up to see it was a rather large crate, wavering uncertainly as Jackie’s eyes flitted from the crate to May’s suddenly ashen face.

‘May, watch out!’ His voice called before the crate was pushed over the edge.

It took her a moment to register what was going on. She saw the wooden object turning dangerously over the edge, but didn’t seem to realise what was happening. Her sapphire orbs flickered from the toppling crate to Jackie’s widened eyes as her brain slowly turned the events which were happening. Blinking, May heard the wood creak slightly, a noise which brought her mind crashing back to earth. 

With a squeal, May rolled out of the way, feeling the splinters of wood graze against her skin as it shattered into pieces where she’d just sat moments before.

Her heart pounding, May glanced at the tall Ranger beside her. He seemed equally shocked, glancing at her with concern to ensure she was ok.

‘Don’t worry, Jackie, I’m fine,’ May whispered, though her voice was slightly uneven. 

‘I’m going to investigate,’ Jackie scowled, squeezing her shoulder slightly. With an angry growl, he rushed off, running further into the dock.

‘I’m coming!’ May called as she ran after him, turning a cemented corner to see him bounding up the concrete stairs. 

Glancing back, she saw a figure scurry back along the rooftop, but continued on her run, ignoring the startled reactions of the wild Raticate and Tyrogue around her. 

‘It’s not safe,’ Jackie hollered back at her as he reached the top of the stairs.

With a soft scoff, she took them two at a time. She’d faced worse than a falling crate and Jackie was not going to talk her out of it, especially when he had no pokémon of his own. 

Skidding to a halt behind the man, she blinked as two Skuntank hissed at them on the upper levels. 

The man reached for his Styler, but May stepped before him. With an irritated growl, she sent him a warning glance. 

‘I’m an adult, Jackie, don’t try to protect me from things I could face in my sleep. Besides, you know I’ve managed to hold my own in the past,’ May responded grimly as she pulled out her pokéball, releasing Skitty. The pokémon seemed surprised that she didn’t utter her usual catchphrase, glancing from her to Jackie, then the Skunktank. She chased her tail slightly before coming to a stop before her trainer, uttering a quiet, ‘Nya?’

‘Use blizzard on those Skuntank!’ May called as the two purple pokémon began to hiss poisonous gasses from their mouth.

Almost immediately, the two pokémon were frozen, overwhelmed by May’s Skitty’s superior level.

‘Your Skitty is really strong too,’ Jackie commented as May rushed ahead, hoping that the two spiky pokémon behind them would remain frozen until they were gone from view. 

‘I trained every day with all of my pokémon, Jackie. I’d be disappointed if I failed as a trainer and hadn’t helped them improve,’ May gritted her teeth as she raced up some stairs, barely huffing as Skitty ran alongside her.

‘I can tell your will is as strong as ever,’ Jackie smirked before running beside her, hiding behind a wall of wooden crates and peering around it. 

Sticking her tongue out once again, May tried to creep closer to the man, hoping to see what he saw around the corner. However, rather than stalk their prey stealthily, she nearly ran into Jackie as he came to a halt, having noticed a trio of people before her, two clad in black, one in white. 

‘Ooh great, a Ranger!’ One of them squealed, her tone filled with disdain as Jackie stumbled into view. With a furtive glance at May, undoubtedly telling her to remain hidden, he assessed the woman. Her black attire stood out against her fair skin, her yellow hair pulled into two upright pigtails. From her clear resentment to him, he deduced she was a runt. 

Glancing around them casually, Jackie counted two people dressed in black and one in white, his black hair gelled out of his face. There were a lack of uncaught pokémon on the roof, making his fight with them much more complicated than required. However, if they were foreigners, they might not be aware of this detail. 

More confidently than he felt, he sauntered forward, grinning, ‘three little Pignites out to play?’

‘Don’t lecture me with fairy type tales, you’re no Mightyena!’ The red haired man glowered, his tanned skin complimented by his black jacket.

‘Get rid of him,’ the second man roared, his white varsity jacket coloured with black stripes on the shoulders. If Officer Jenny’s shoulders were to be used as an example, it signified rank, but May wasn’t too sure for what.

‘Yes, sir!’ the two subordinates saluted him as May stumbled into view, her Skitty still held in her arms. 

Jackie sent her a glare before the man in black released a pokémon with two large purple heads, one larger than the other. On one was the insignia OX, on the other O, however both heads appeared to be in pain. With an unheard command, their opponent disappeared in a puff of smoke created by a purple pokémon with two heads, one smaller than the other.

‘What is that pokémon?’ May gasped, taking out her pokédex from her pocket, her Skitty moving frantically to be released from her grip.

Her electronic device scanned the pokémon, before the gas reached them.

‘Don’t breathe it in, it’s poisonous!’ Jackie called, flinging his arm over his own mouth.

Fumbling with her pokéball, May recalled Skitty, before hurriedly covering her own mouth with her shirt, frantically hoping that no one would see anything untoward. Despite her efforts, some of the putrid gas still went into her mouth, making throat clam up and cough, rejecting the unclean air.

Her pokédex’s voice rang out over her coughing, calling, ‘Weezing, the poison gas pokémon. Weezing alternately shrinks and inflates its twin bodies to mix together toxic gases inside. The more the gases are mixed, the more powerful the toxins become. The pokémon also becomes more putrid.’

Hearing this, May’s eyes widened in horror. She needed to get out of the pungent gas, but where was Jackie? She couldn’t just leave the man here alone by himself, and she didn’t have any flying types to blow the gas away. For the life of her, she didn’t know what to do. The gas was smothering her senses, making it difficult to breathe. It stung at her eyes, making them unusually teary, and all she could smell was this poison, even if she tried not to breathe through her nose.

Biting back a choke, May barely heard the faint sound of an electronic gadget whirring into life.

‘Capture, on!’ The man’s voice rang out across the field as the two grunts began to squabble, though May paid them no attention. 

‘Spearow!’ A high pitched voice called before May could hear the sound of flapping wings, strong and rhythmic. 

Soon enough, her hair was flicking away from her back as the poisonous gas floated past her, disappearing into thin air. Dropping her shirt, May rushed forward to see the two grunts still squabbling.

‘Hey, who’s the girl?’ The man with white hair scowled as the woman beside him, with teal hair squeaked at May’s sudden reappearance. 

‘Girl?’ May glowered, ignoring Jackie, who was waving at her to calm down.

Taking a menacing step forward, May repeated, ‘Girl? Who do you think you’re talking to! I’m not ten years old anymore!’

‘You might not be ten years old, but you sure look like a weak little girl to me,’ the man taunted, stepping forward as he grabbed a pokéball.

Seeing Jackie move to defend her, May held up a hand and called to him, ‘don’t get involved, Jackie. I want to teach him not to degrade a woman myself.’

The blond man, to his credit, remained mute on the topic, though a small smirk ordained his face as he released Spearow from his Styler.

The man before May growled once before unleashing a Jynx, the bipedal, humanoid pokémon calling out its name before blinking in confusion at May’s determined expression.

‘Jynx,’ May grimaced, recalling a challenger from her gym having one of those. Needless to say, she’d had to face that particular challenger a few times, the younger trainer refusing to accept defeat.

‘All right, it’s up to you, Blaziken, take the stage!’ she grimaced, unleashing her fire and fighting dual type before her. 

In reaction to her call, May’s pokémon let out a powerful burst of fire, before growling at the blonde pokémon before him. 

‘Blaziken, double kick, followed by flame charge!’ May called, still furious that someone would degrade her so blatantly.

‘Jynx, uhh, use heart stamp!’ The man cried out, looking a little anxious as Blaziken reciprocated his Trainer’s ferocity.

‘Dodge it!’ May called out, watching in fear as Blaziken’s feet glowed and rapidly contacted Jynx’s puckered lips.

Hearing May’s cry, her pokémon jumped away from his humanoid opponent before encapsulating himself in a flame. 

With a roar, he ran forward, halting slightly as Jynx’s heart shaped kiss hit him. 

‘No, Blaziken!’ May cried, though her pokémon didn’t seem to hear her. 

Noticing his Trainer’s despair, the pokémon reacted by instinct. His blue eyes glowing with anger, the bird pokémon’s feathers began to glow as he jumped into the air. 

‘Blaziken?’ May whispered as her pokémon fell forward, his eyes narrowed on Jynx, who seemed rooted to the spot.

‘Jynx? Do something!’ The man cried, though his pokémon raced around frantically, sensing the man’s frustration and uncertainty.

‘Blazikeeen!’ The fire type roared before colliding painfully with the purple skinned Jynx. 

In response, the Jynx fell to the floor in a heap, unable to battle. 

‘Blaziken, you were awesome!’ May cried before tackling her pokémon in a tight hug. 

‘Yes, he was,’ Jackie’s voice grinned from behind her.

‘I failed, I can’t believe it!’ The man cried as he recalled his pokémon.

‘I can, you’ve always been abysmal. Let’s go, before the bosses hear of your spectacular disaster.’ The woman sneered before grabbing the man’s collar and jumping off the building.

‘They’re getting away,’ May frowned at her friend.

‘I’ll catch up to them and meet you at the Ranger base. Don’t even think of following me, either!’ Jackie called as he jumped after them. 

Hesitating, May glanced at her pokémon who nodded his head before they both began chasing Jackie. With the press of a few buttons, May dialled her brother’s number.

‘May, are you all right? Everyone’s looking for you,’ Max’s voice frowned into her ear, filled with worry.

‘Not now, Max, chasing bad guys. Jackie needs help, check his Styler for location,’ May huffed into the Xtransceiver before terminating the call. She knew it would only incite her brother’s worry, but she didn’t have the time. Besides, the Capture Styler’s location could be traced within the Almia region by contacting any Operators. 

Following the blond man down the pristine streets, May ignored the calls of surprise from the citizens of Pueltown at seeing something so unusual. Apparently the town was not accustomed to seeing a Top Ranger and young woman chasing after a group of strangers.

‘May, go to safety,’ Jackie hollered as the female grunt grabbed a pokéball from her black belt. Her thin lips were pulled into an angry snarl as her purple eyes glared at them.

‘I’m not leaving you to face this on your own, Jackie. What do you take me for?’ May glowered back at the man as she caught up to him, helping to corner their opponents in an unused alley. 

‘Go Houndour!’ The woman cried, releasing the black furred pokémon.

Wincing at the low growl which came from the tiny cub pokémon, May felt slightly intimidated by the dark canine pokémon. 

‘You don’t have a partner pokémon, Jackie. Remind me again how you would fight this battle if I weren’t here?’ May questioned her friend, noticing his suddenly anxious gaze as he searched for a pokémon near them. Blaziken growled its name in support of his Trainer.

Rolling her eyes, she grabbed a pokéball, enlargening it as she began to twirl. In a loud voice, she called, ‘Munchlax, take the stage!’ 

‘Munch laaaax!’ Munchlax called before flexing his arms before them.

‘Munchlax, use secret power on that Houndour!’ May called, pointing at the canine type pokémon before them. 

Calling his name in response, the big eater pokémon bolted forward, smashing into the canine pokémon with an eager enthusiasm reciprocated by its Trainer. 

‘Awesome work, Munchlax!’ May called, grinning as her pokémon sent her a wink with a thumbs up. He was as confident as ever, and it made the aspiring Top Coordinator smile as her starter pokémon let out a tiny flame from his mouth.

To May’s surprise, her opponent laughed at the damage taken by her own pokémon. With a soft giggle, her opponent grinned, ‘Houndour, darling, use bite on that annoying Rattata.’

With a low growl, the dark pokémon bolted forward, pouncing on the big eater pokémon.

Hearing her pokémon cry out in pain, May felt her heart lurch painfully in her throat. In a shaky voice, she called, ‘Munchlax! Get him off of you with strength!’

Her pokémon winced as his tiny hands struggled with the giant dark and fire type. May’s eyes were focused on her friend, zoned in to his struggles, not even aware of her surroundings. She didn’t even notice Jackie calling for her attention, trying to get her to move away from the battlefield.

Watching her pokémon tussle in a futile manner against the much larger canine pokémon, May felt terrible. If she hadn’t picked Munchlax, her friend and partner wouldn’t be in pain. Pushing aside her doubts, May called, ‘Munchlax, you can do it!’

Hearing her friend call out his name, May felt surprise fill her when her pokémon’s hands began to glow.

‘Come on, Munchlax!’ May cried, taking a step forward as Blaziken roared with her in support.

‘Houndour, use feint attack!’ The woman sneered, her purple eyes glinting with angry.

‘I know you can do it, Munchlax!’ May yelled at her pokémon, recalling just how much support could motivate them. 

Just as Houndour was about to disappear, Munchlax pushed the pokémon violently off of him.

With yelp, Houndour flew into a wall nearby, crashing loudly, and painfully, into it.

‘Now, while the momentum is high, try earthquake!’ May called out, knowing the command was risqué. After all, Munchlax had only ever successfully used earthquake once before.

Munchlax jumped into the air before a tremor started shaking the earth, feeble, yet there.

‘Come on, Munchlax!’ May grinned at her friend as his gaze focussed on Houndour.

The pokémon, in reaction to May’s cries, intensified its attack. As the ground rumbled and shook, the teal pokémon’s opponent lost its footing, landing painfully on his jaw.

‘Finish it up with strength!’ May called as her opponent scowled, ‘Houndour, use flamethrower or you’ll be sorry!’

The Houndour could only try to catch its breath before Munchlax attacked, pushing it violently into the wall.

With a groan, the canine pokémon struggled to stand up before falling over, fainted.

‘You pathetic pokémon!’ The woman snarled, all of her previous praise forgotten as she recalled it.

‘That’s no way to treat your Houndour! He fought as hard as he could!’ May yelled furiously, her face flushed in anger as she glared at the woman before her. The woman, to May’s shock, merely chuckled as she pocketed her pokéball.

‘She’s right, who do you think you are?’ Jackie snarled as he stumbled forward, though the woman jumped out of his reach with a giggle.

‘It is not important who I think I am. I know that I am better than you and will prove it when I can. Now, we of Team Bright Moon bid you farewell!’ The woman snapped before grabbing hold of a rope. Sending them a smug smirk, she tugged on it once before disappearing over the walls of the alley.

Recalling her Munchlax, May beamed, ‘You were awesome and deserve a good, long rest.’

Once they were alone, Jackie frowned, ‘Like your pokémon, May, you were awesome. However, I’m a Ranger and assigned to tackle these dangers. You’re not.’

‘I may not be a Ranger, Jackie, but I am still classed as a Gym Leader of Petalburg, I’m an inter-region Coordinator and a civilian. If I do not do my bit to help, then how can I face my friends, family and pokémon?’ May responded back, surprising him by the depth of her response as she scratched Blaziken’s head slowly. 

Glaring darkly at the man, she continued, ‘besides, who do you think helped coach my brother in passing his tests? He spent hours with me on the phone revising his notes. I know for a fact that even Top Rangers haven’t been allocated a Styler that enables capturing already domesticated pokémon, or pokémon caught in a pokéball. How would you have fought those cronies without any wild pokémon around?’

‘When you say it like that,’ Jackie muttered in an almost guilty manner, appearing speechless for the first time. 

‘I know I’m right,’ May glared back, trying to suppress a smile. After all, she’d never been one to remain serious for extended periods of time.

‘Let’s head back to the others, I need to report this event,’ Jackie frowned as he lead the way to the end of the alley. Glancing back at the damaged ground behind them, Jackie grimaced, ‘And we’ll need to send someone to clean this mess up.’ 

With a soft smile, May skipped behind the man, humming a soft tune. Both were unaware of a dark shadow watching their movements away from the building, noticing their every move.


	10. Chapter 9

Walking beside Jackie, May couldn’t help but feel concerned as to who those people had been. The way they had carried themselves, it had been an indication that they were a team, as surely as Aqua and Magma or even Dim Sun. Her previous elation at having defeated her foes had since deflated as her mind considered possible reasons the group Bright Moon could have been created. However, she’d reminded herself that Jackie would have to be the one to investigate the matter further. After all, it was one of the many reasons why Rangers were revered in Almia, as Gym Leaders were respected in other regions. She did not have any influence over Almia, nor should she have any.

‘May! Where are you?’ Max’s voice called out, sounding strained and pulling May out of her thoughts faster than her Munchlax could locate stolen food. 

Hearing his strangled voice, May knew she’d unnecessarily worried her brother, and couldn’t help but feel guilty for it. After all, as eldest sibling, it was her role to reassure him, not cause him pain and worry as she had been doing lately.

Beside her, Jackie must have noticed her unease, because he took hold of her hand and squeezed it gently, reminding her that he was there to support her. It made her feel even more gratitude to the man who’d been nothing but a friend and mentor to both herself and her brother.

‘I’ve got her!’ Jackie called as he sent her a reassuring wink and extrapolated his hand from hers. 

Feeling flustered, May continued to walk beside him as they regrouped with the others before the Pokémon Centre. She couldn’t help but wonder if her brother would scold her, as he had every right to.

Reaching her friends, May smiled politely at them, doing her best to ignore their concerned expressions. With a sheepish chuckle, she awkwardly held her hands behind her back, knowing they were less than impressed with her behaviour.

‘May, you should know better than to run off like that. We were all really worried about you,’ Max chastised, glaring at his sister in clear anger.

‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to worry anyone,’ May apologised, suppressing the urge to hug her brother. She often forgot he wasn’t a little boy anymore, though she knew he’d always forgive her, even if it took him a day or two. Besides, after her self-inflicted isolation in Sootopolis, the last thing she wanted to do was the upset him further.

‘He’s right, May, even Gary was worried about you,’ Solidad frowned, glancing over May’s slightly messy hair, noticing her rumpled shirt and bloodshot eyes. 

‘I’m sure he was,’ May muttered bitterly, surprising the older woman slightly. Clearly her resentment for the world hadn’t been completely stamped out after she had left the boutique.

‘It doesn’t change that you had me worried sick, hon!’ Harley snapped, his green eyes glaring down at May.

‘I’m sorry, but I’m ok now. We only got into a small bit of trouble,’ May chuckled nervously, glancing sheepishly at Jackie, hoping he’d back her up. Whilst she could face their previous opponents with ease, she always seemed to forget her friends would worry over her. She’d often been scolded about that in Hoenn, too. 

‘Slight? From what Max said, you were fighting multiple people, and no one had any idea where you were! We couldn’t even get in touch with the Ranger Union to find out where you were, they were flooded with complaints about a battle happening here somewhere!’ Harley glowered, his voice an unusual screech as he moved his hands jerkily towards her, as though he wanted to shake her.

‘I’m sorry,’ May winced, forgetting that she had no real obligation to the people of Almia, even if she felt obliged to help everyone.

‘Don’t apologise, May, you did what you thought was right. Besides, I couldn’t have done it without you,’ Jackie frowned, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder and giving it a slight squeeze.

Hearing this, May’s face flushed as she glanced bashfully up at the man, unsure of how to respond to his compliment. After all, the last time she’d met him, he hadn’t uttered such glowing praise towards her actions.

‘Jackie?’ Max frowned, apparently equally surprised to hear the man’s blatant praise of his sister. Again, when he had started out as a Ranger, Jackie hadn’t offered him such praise. 

‘She’s not ten anymore, Max, just like you’re not either. You’ve both come a long way from the fumbling kids you once were,’ Jackie smiled down at the younger man, appearing to have found a newfound respect for the younger woman.

With a sigh, Max groaned, ‘great, someone’s after May again.’ 

Blinking, May wondered what her brother could possibly mean. After all, Brock had told her he’d uttered similar sentiments when Brianna had insisted on becoming May’s rival. However, from what she could gather with her friendship with Jackie, the man wasn’t attempting to be her rival, especially not to save others. 

Hearing a muffled growl from behind her brother, May glanced behind him to say Harley biting his hat in anger. While muffled, she could still hear the man muttering, ‘no, no, no, no, no! How many times do I have to say this? Only one man is allowed to get with that pipsqueak, so why is she attracting all of these gorgeous hunks? It’s not fair!’

Blinking in surprise, May frowned, ‘Harley, are you ok?’

‘Yes, perfectly happy,’ Harley glowered in a tone which signified he was far from happy.

Sharing a confused glance with Jackie, May grimaced slightly. The only person who could decipher the man’s every mood was Solidad, though when May glanced at her, she found her mentor chuckling slightly. The pink haired woman shook her head at May, her eyes dancing with mirth at the younger woman’s unspoken question. 

‘Oh, Harley,’ Solidad smiled in a bemused manner before turning her knowing gaze on May. In a stern voice, she lectured, ‘May, you may be an adult, but that doesn’t mean you can run off without telling your travelling companions where you’re going. None of us had the faintest idea where you were, and then Max told us you were in trouble. Do you have any idea how concerned we were for your safety?’

‘Really? We’re travelling together again?’ May beamed, clasping her hands together as she stared at the pink haired woman before her in eager disbelief. 

With a light chuckle, the woman nodded once, discontinuing her fretful tirade at the sight of May’s eager joy. The brunette’s joyful moods had always made it difficult for others to remain angry with her for extended periods of time.

Upon registering the affirmative nod, May squealed and danced in a circle, calling out, ‘all that’s missing is Drew!’

‘I’m sure he’s not too far off,’ Solidad smiled at the brunette, who responded by continuing to dance on the spot, excited to see her friends together at last.

‘Really? So he is coming?’ May beamed up at her friend, who was pointedly ignoring Harley’s frantic motions behind Max.

‘I’m sure he’s already spent quite a while here,’ Solidad responded, sending a subtle glower at the extravagant man, who froze at her disapproval. 

‘Then why haven’t I seen him? Wouldn’t he have been at the Ranger festival? I mean, from what Lucas said it wasn’t an everyday occurrence. Surely he wouldn’t want to have missed that,’ May frowned in confusion, staring down at her feet in disappointment. She couldn’t help but wonder if the green haired man was avoiding her. Considering how long had passed since she’d last seen him, she couldn’t hold it against him. 

‘Relax, remember what I told you before,’ Jackie whispered so that only she could hear, squeezing her shoulder slightly.

Hearing this reminder, May beamed up at the man before pulling him into a hug, whispering, ‘I hope you’re right, Jackie. I know it sounds like I just want to be a hero, but I’m honestly not. It’s been so long since I last saw him, and I don’t know if he’d even give me a chance.’

‘You are a hero, May, to me,’ Jackie responded in a louder tone, ignoring Harley’s muted squeals of rage. In a softer voice, he continued, ‘and if some people won’t give you the chance, then it’s not meant to be. Don’t bet all of your poké dollars on something that might not happen. Your happiness is far too important for you to place all of your hopes on someone you haven’t seen in years.’

‘Thanks Jackie, you’re the best! This is one of the many reasons why Max and I love you,’ May grinned up at him, making the man flush slightly in surprise. From what Max had told her, the man didn’t interact with many women, so this praise from May would have been highly unusual.

‘Will you stop hitting on my mentor?’ Max glowered up at her, sounding scarred as he glared at his sister.

‘What? I’m not flirting with him,’ May pouted, puffing her cheeks in anger. Harley groaned upon hearing her response, stomping his foot in anger whilst Jackie stifled a chuckle at the cobalt haired man’s resentment.

‘Sure, and I’m the king of the Slakoth,’ Max retorted dryly, crossing his arms in anger. 

‘Well you do look like a Vigoroth to me!’ May snapped back, taking a step forward towards her brother, her hands pressed on her hips in anger.

‘Oh yeah? Says the Snorlax!’ Max glared back, mimicking her movements and stepping towards her in equal fury.

‘Don’t you call me Snorlax, Porygon!’ May hollered back, poking her brother’s Ranger vest in irritation, apparently forgetting all about their companions’ presence near them.

‘Oh, Porygon, real smart, Aipom!’ Max scoffed before turning his back on her as he closed his eyes, his expression turned into a moody glower.

Seeing the back of his head, May giggled slightly, hiding her mouth in her hands. 

Her brother, upon hearing her happy laugh, turned and grinned down at her. With a light chuckle, he pulled her into a tight hug, whispering, ‘I’ve missed these moments. You bounce back faster than Spoink.’

‘And you’re still as capable with witty insults as Smeargle is with artworks,’ May responded before wrapping her arms tightly around her brother’s torso, taking the chance to truly relish the hug.

‘And I’m amazed you both know that many normal type pokémon,’ Harley frowned at them both, reminding them of their startled spectators.

Glancing at each other, May grinned as her brother boasted, ‘when your father is the normal type Gym Leader from Hoenn then you have to know your stuff, isn’t that right, sis?’

‘It definitely is,’ May beamed back at him without missing a beat, her countenance brightening with her brother’s happy chuckle.

‘Well, let’s head off to Vientown for the contest there—you’ll finally have your great debut that we’ve all been waiting for,’ Harley smiled, taking May’s hand in his own before pulling her away from the others.

‘M-May!’ Max gasped, reaching out for his sister.

‘It’s ok, Max, I’ll call you later. Stay safe!’ May called out to him, knowing from experience not to protest to Harley’s demands, if only for the sake of her sanity.

‘Well, there she goes,’ Jackie chuckled, crossing his arms as he watched them head down the crowded street.

‘Hey, wait for me!’ A soft voice cracked as a woman rushed after them, her blue hair blowing in the wind. 

The two men watched her jog after the others, her angered yell carried by the wind, ‘if you ruin my hair by making me run after you, I will personally ensure that even Arceus’ judgment cannot compare to my punishment!’

‘Then hurry up, chocolate covered marshmallow!’ Harley’s voice taunted back as he paused slightly.

‘Where’s Lucas?’ May called as she turned to stare at her bluenette friend.

‘I think he’s doing some work for Professor Rowan near a farm outside of Vientown. He said we should totally check out Nabiki Beach and the Marine Cave,’ Dawn frowned at her friend, her face flushed from her light sprint.

‘Oh, I’ve heard stories about that place,’ May whispered, her expression troubled.

‘What’s wrong?’ Solidad frowned down at the younger woman, who seemed perturbed by the direction of their recent conversation.

Considering her friend, May sent her a reassuring smile, shaking her head slightly. Her hand grazed her pokéballs, her thoughts filled with concern about the Beach. Rumour had it that encountering a pokémon at this beach may result in a close relationship with them. However, May couldn’t comprehend how a relationship with a pokémon could be closer than hers were with her friends. To her, they were more than friends, they were family. They’d supported her through so much, seen so many sides to her that it would do them an injustice to consider them anything less than family.

Where Blaziken was a source of comfort for her by his sheer strength and confidence, Beautifly comforted her by listening and being mostly gentle with her reactions. Then there was Skitty, who was a never ending source of amusement and joy, Munchlax who was mischievous and confident, Glaceon was far too stubborn for her own good, whilst Wartortle still sometimes needed reassurance. Then there was Venusaur, one of her strongest pokémon who tried to comfort the others around them, acting as a mentor and counsellor. She couldn’t possibly imagine a closer bond than the ones she had with her own pokémon, especially the ones she'd gained from her journey with Ash, Brock and Max. 

With such concerns, May hesitantly walked beside Harley, who was gushing over the beauty of previous appeals. None of that made May’s worries disappear as she was painfully reminded of her own struggles in constructing an appeal she could feel confident with.   
 


	11. Chapter 10

They’d been walking for a couple of days through the Vien Forest, and May was still completely stuck with the appeal she would hopefully use in her Vientown debut. Furthermore, she was missing the pokémon she’d left with her family in Hoenn, though she knew they were being taken care of. Kenny and her parents would definitely know how to ease any worries her pokémon had. That didn’t dull the ache, though she tried to distract herself from it.

At the moment, they were set up near a small lake for lunch. She’d made some salad with Dawn whilst Solidad had made some sandwiches and Harley had set up the picnic blanket with the help of his trusty Cacturne. The pokémon, to its credit, had grinned at May, though she still felt slightly intimidated by his dark persona.

‘Wartortle!’ A deep voice called, drowning out Dawn’s repeated boast about their delicious salad. After all, Iris had taught them a fair bit about the plants of the forest, and the Unova native would undoubtedly be extremely pleased with their accomplishments. 

Immediately, May’s head shot up as she moved to watch the blue bipedal pokémon shuffle towards them, its tail darker than May’s own. Its large brown eyes flashed with a steely determination as it stared upon the intruders, appearing to dare them to come closer to it.

‘Uhoh, a wild pokémon,’ Dawn whispered as she placed a hand on her Piplup, who looked ready to jump in before them. The penguin-like pokémon seemed convinced he could take on the new arrival, though the Wartortle didn’t seem in the least intimidated by him.

‘Relax, Piplup,’ May smiled down at the small blue aquatic pokémon, shuffling forward gently to offer the wild pokémon some of her sandwich. It looked at her hesitantly, apparently considering whether she could be trusted or not.

‘It’s ok, I’m not going to hurt you,’ May offered in a soft voice, crouching down to his level. She offered it one of her small smiles, remembering not to bare her teeth at it in case it took offence. 

Hesitantly, it snatched the sandwich from her hands, sniffing it slightly before taking a gulp. 

Watching him munch eagerly on the meal they’d prepared, May beamed at her friends. She heard it call its name slightly in clear delight before it came closer to her, its large eyes silently requesting more food.

In a cheerful voice, May turned to face her friends. Seeing their stunned expressions, she grinned, ‘see? He was just hungry.’

‘Unbelievable. She could’ve gotten really hurt, but survived because she’s a twerpette,’ Harley gasped as he considered her eager expression.

‘That’s our May, always full of surprises,’ Solidad beamed, her blue eyes filled with a pride May hadn’t seen before.

‘Thank you, Solidad,’ May blushed before taking a seat on the blanket and nibbling on another sandwich. 

The group continued to eat in silence as they saw other pokémon come closer, appearing to be curious by the sudden appearance of their group. They remained silent, hoping to deter the pokémon from rushing off by any startled noise. As a consequence, they had the privilege of enjoying the various interactions the pokémon were undergoing with each other and their environment around them.

Watching the Wartortle, Bidoof, Staraptor and Shinx play with each other, May couldn’t help but smile. She’d always loved watching inter-species interactions with pokémon, it was just so refreshing. However, much time had passed, and they did need to reach Vientown as soon as possible. 

‘I think it’s time for us to leave,’ Solidad smiled softly as she began to pack up, apparently having read May’s mind.

Immediately, May gave the left overs to the remaining wild pokémon as Dawn and Harley folded the blanket, Dawn still chatting away about their excellent salad. Harley glowered slightly at her, though he thankfully did not make a snide retort to demand her silence. 

With a cheerful wave at the wild pokémon, the four Coordinators found themselves back on the road, enjoying the beautiful weather that Almia had to offer. None of them noticed the group of pokémon following them slightly behind them. 

‘So, how’re you going with planning your appeal?’ Harley frowned at May as Solidad and Dawn lead the way through the green shrubbery, making a remark here or there about one or another beautiful plant.

Considering how to answer the question, May walked in silence, her sapphire eyes travelling along the dirt path before them, contemplating every possible trap in the ground. After all, she was still quite the klutz, as she’d been so painfully reminded by none other than Gary Oak and Drew, though it had been far too long since the latter had even graced her with his presence. 

Pushing aside those painful thoughts, May refocused on the matter at hand.

‘Well, my latest fusion move is a massive flop,’ May grimaced as she turned her attention briefly to the man who walked beside her. He appeared perfectly disinterested, his attention focused on his a few strands of his hair, as though unperturbed by insignificant hindrances like twigs and branches which may trip him. 

‘Explain,’ Harley spoke, his tone unusually short as May’s attention was once again focused on the ground before her. 

Honestly, her aversion to meeting people’s gaze in the forest was starting to irk her, but she really didn’t need Harley to have any more ammunition on her than he already had. That Tentacool story was bad enough, not to mention his obvious jealousy of her past with Steven. Even now, she longed to disprove his resentment to her, even if it had diminished over time. She’d always wanted to prove her worth, and Harley had been one of her worst critics. Sure, he’d been her friend, but he’d always tested her; that was just how their relationship worked. At least he was easier to impress than her other critic, who’d probably sneer at her abysmal failed attempts at an appeal. 

‘It’s hard for me to explain it, you know my style as well as Solidad or Drew. Anyway, I was hoping to create a unique combination, in which Munchlax’s focus punch and Skitty’s blizzard would join together. However, they’re not really communicating all that well with each other, and I’m not sure how I can possibly have it work,’ May whispered as her hands gently grazed her pokéballs. She knew it wasn’t the fault of her pokémon, it was her responsibility to find a way to make them improve. However, that didn’t make this any easier for her. 

‘Hon, you’ll get it when you’re ready. As much as I hate admitting this, you’re a natural performer. Why don’t you try another combination instead? Blaziken and Glaceon should give you a real confidence boost,’ Harley offered as he walked by her side, swaying his hips in a sultry manner from side to side. 

Considering the man in the Banette costume beside her, May frowned, ‘But Dawn’s already created the fire and ice fusion, she’s also done that with ice and electricity. I can’t steal her idea as my debut, even if I ask her. It doesn’t feel right to just come back after years of being in hiatus with nothing new. Surely you’d understand, Harley. From all of your performances in Johto, you were going from one appeal to the other, all so creative and unique, a style that fit you perfectly.’

‘Well, hon, when you’re as artistic and talented as I am, it just comes naturally. Now, let’s see if we can find something that fits you to a T. Which pokémon do you have with you, then?’ Harley frowned as he watched Dawn walking arm in arm with Solidad. His green eyes were narrowed in sceptical curiosity, appearing to be monitoring the duo before them, who were in deep discussion about something which, quite frankly, didn’t interest the male Coordinator. 

‘Well there’s Blaziken, Munchlax, Skitty and Glaceon,’ May whispered as she ticked each one of her pokémon off. 

‘What about Venusaur, Wartortle and Beautifly? Surely you can call one of them to you?’ Harley questioned, his green eyes intent upon May’s own, his lips pressed in a slight frown, though May didn’t notice the concern etched on the man’s face. 

‘Well, I didn’t want to leave my mum all alone at home if anything happened to dad again. Out of all my pokémon, I knew that Beautifly would comfort her the most, but Venusaur would also offer some comfort; she has quite a good relationship with my father’s pokémon. As for Wartortle, he’s always been good at getting me out of my depressions, so I thought he might help my mum too,’ May smiled softly as she considered her pokémon back in Petalburg. She missed them sorely and knew they would have help her with her appeal, though her plight wasn’t the strongest, especially when she considered how distraught her mum had been after her father had been hospitalized. 

Harley once again brought her to the present as he muttered, ‘While I admire your sacrifice for your family, your options are limited, hon. That choice left you with two normal type pokémon, a fire and fighting type and an ice type. Just how are you going to make a marvellous debut out of them?’ 

Grimacing, May considered the words of her friend in the Banette costume, her eyes once again on the ground. She didn’t notice as Dawn paused in her discussions with Solidad to inspect a group of flowers on the side of the dirt road, her eyes alight with joy.

‘Hey, May!’ Dawn whispered loudly, pulling her brunette’s friend’s attention out of her thoughts faster than a Rapidash could stop. Sapphire eyes met her friend’s dark blue, the younger woman pointing her finger at the group of various coloured flowers.

Sharing a bemused glance with Harley, May rushed forward to see various different coloured flowers. There were red, yellow, orange, blue and white flowers, appearing to move gracefully in the wind. Blinking, May looked around them and then back up at friend. 

Returning her gaze to the flowers, she realised that they were moving on their own, their green stems floating above the ground, though there wasn’t any wing. 

‘Why are they moving?’ May questioned, her gaze flickering to meet Solidad’s knowing smile. 

‘There’s no wind,’ Harley whispered, his eyes widening as his expression paled. 

‘Gh-ghost?’ May squeaked, feeling the blood drain from her face as she saw Harley’s equally horrified expression. 

‘Don’t be silly, it’s a Flabébé,’ Dawn giggled as she shared a knowing glance with Solidad, who seemed to be suppressing a chuckle.

‘What’s that?’ May frowned before fishing out her Pokédex. Turning it to face the floating flowers, its soft voice chanted, ‘Flabébé; the single bloom pokémon. When it finds a flower it likes, it dwells on that flower its whole life long. It floats in the wind’s embrace with an untroubled heart. 

‘Wow, it sounds gorgeous!’ May giggled as her eyes caught sight of the white body of the pokémon, its ears twitching horizontally as it stared up at her, its brown eyes wide. In response to her smile, it giggled in response. 

‘If I didn’t know better, I’d catch one,’ Dawn smiled as the Flabébé began to move around them, the petals floating in a seemingly invisible wind which touched only their petals.

‘But would you really want to separate any of them from their friends?’ Solidad smiled as May had one land in her hand. 

‘Of course not. Friends are meant to be together,’ Dawn beamed as she watched May smile down at the red petal flower. 

‘As if a little twerpette like either of you two would know much about that,’ Harley muttered bitterly, crossing his arms before his chest, not meeting either of their gaze.

‘Harley, if I could give you anything to compensate for my absence, you know I would,’ May whispered as the petal pokémon floated out of her hand and hovered before Harley’s face, appearing to beg along with her.

‘Get this cute little Rattata out of my face!’ Harley glowered at the Flabébé, who hurriedly floated back to Dawn, its ears pulled back in fright. Clearly Harley could still intimidate opponents when he wanted to, and May was silently grateful his anger hadn’t been directed at her this once. 

‘I wonder; when did your kind migrate to Almia? You can’t be native to this region, or I would have seen you as a young child,’ Dawn frowned as the main group of Flabébé floated off, moving through the shrubbery and leaving behind the red flowered one as it frowned back at Dawn in equal confusion. 

‘Hey! You’re forgetting your friend!’ May called as she moved to catch up with the others, though their pace increased rapidly. 

‘Flabébé!’ The small fairy flower cried, though its cries were ignored as it floated after them. 

Watching its depression, Dawn beamed, ‘there’s no need to worry, we’ll help you get to your friends!’

The pokémon, in response, muttered its name in a dejected manner, its long, notched ears drooping slightly so that even Harley felt some guilt at its clear misery.

‘That’s not very nice, who just leaves their friends behind?’ Harley glowered, appearing furious at the actions of the wild pokémon. His resentment surprised May, and reiterated her guilt for having left without a trace for not only her purple haired friend, but also the green haired object of her affections

‘We’ll just have to find them,’ Solidad spoke, gently squeezing May’s shoulder before she began to lead them down the path. The woman was as perceptive as ever and had clearly noticed May’s own mood deflate with Harley’s vehement anger. 

‘How do you propose we do that? They’ve gone off the path, and it’ll be hard to trace their movements,’ Dawn whispered as the flower pokémon floated to her shoulder, hovering there anxiously, appearing to be nervous to be alone.

‘We’ll have to follow them, that’s how,’ May grinned in response, quickening her step to follow the now unseen flowers, passing Solidad as she walked.

‘But what if we lose our way?’ Dawn grimaced as May stumbled ahead, climbing through the foliage. The brunette appeared completely at ease, though Dawn couldn’t figure out how that was possible. After all, only Iris could possibly find her way out of this forest. May didn’t have Iris’ in depth instincts, and Dawn wasn’t too sure if she should emphasise this point to her friend whose pride was probably shattered from being stuck in Hoenn for years.

‘Hon, get back out here!’ Harley’s shrill voice snapped as he hurriedly and noisily rushed into the shrubbery, appearing to forget his own wellbeing in his haste to reach the renowned klutz. 

‘Harley, don’t do anything to hurt her,’ Solidad called, hesitating slightly before following them into the greenery, leaving the young woman with dark blue hair out on the now deserted dirt path.

‘Hey, wait for me!’ Dawn squeaked anxiously before rushing after, hesitantly holding the wild Flabébé in her hands as it peeped its name, using its ears to cover its eyes. Even the pokémon didn’t seem to have any faith in the group of friends, and that did not instil any confidence in Dawn. 

‘Flabébé, come back here! You’ve forgotten your friend!’ Harley hollered as he overtook May to run ahead. His gaze was so focused upon the pokémon before him, he didn’t notice the slight dip in the ground just in front of his feet. Losing his footing, he tripped and stumbled forward, straight into a tree.

Stumbling to a halt, May frowned, ‘Harley, are you ok?’

‘Go get them, pipsqueak! I want their flowers for breakfast!’ Harley growled as he hit the ground in anger, all se.

‘I’ll go get them then,’ May offered nervously before running after them, hearing their calls fill her ears. Stumbling away from her friend, May followed the sound of the pokémon’s cries, hoping to reunite the lonely Flabébé with its friends. 

Watching them float across a clear, crystal lake surrounded by long grass, May frowned. The scene was perfect, but it did not leave her feeling happy. Instead, she found herself disappointed at how readily the other pokémon forgot about one of their own. Did their community mean that little to them? She’d never encountered a pokémon before that would abandon one of their kind so readily.

‘Guys, you forgot one of your own!’ May called as Dawn stumbled into view beside her, clutching the distressed Flabébé in her arms. 

As one, the group of pokémon turned to stare down at the two young women, they did not appear at all moved by the reappearance of the Flabébé. Instead, they turned back away, calling their name in anger.

‘We d-didn’t mean to offend you,’ Dawn whispered, clinging onto the red petalled flower in fear.

With a squeak, the other flora pokémon flitted apart, all of them disturbed by their appearance. 

‘Hey, wait!’ Dawn squeaked as they all disappeared in different directions, leaving the trio alone. 

‘What about your friend?’ May whispered as the two glanced down at the forlorn Flabébé, who was left staring at its friends in disappointment. 

Flying out of Dawn’s hands, it called out to them, its calls echoing around the lake. Chasing after them, it continued to cry, its calls increasing in desperation and fervour. Some of them paused in their movements, but ultimately it was ignored.

Shattered, Flabébé’s ears drooped as it returned to Dawn’s awaiting hands. 

‘It’ll be ok, Flabébé, we’re here for you,’ May whispered as she, too, felt the pain the Flabébé cried with. 

‘If your community won’t take you back, how do you feel about joining me?’ Dawn whispered, her tone soft as she considered the red flowered pokémon before her.

Instantly, its eyes brightened as it nodded its head, whilst May smiled in near shock. She’d forgotten how easy it could be to gain a new partner, though she honestly could not say she held Dawn’s offer against her. After all, the Flabébé’s alternative was to roam the forest alone, and the brunette wouldn’t even wish that on the crooks she’d faced in the past. 

Watching Dawn throw the pokéball at the small fairy type, May couldn’t help but smile as she saw the red and white ball shake slightly. 

Once the dull sound of the pokéball’s successful capture could be heard, May watched the bluenette pick up the ball. The young woman grinned, ‘welcome to the team!’

With a soft smile, she whispered, ‘let’s find the others.’

‘Definitely,’ Dawn beamed at the brunette, leading the way back the way they had come. 

Glancing back at the group of pokémon, May silently wondered what had enraged them so. She doubted that even Harley alone could infuriate anyone so.


	12. Chapter 11

Humming a soft tune, May pointedly ignored Harley’s dark glower from before her. She was once again keeping up appearances that everything was all right, and had a sneaking suspicion that the purple haired man was aware of her ploy. After all, they’d been travelling through the forest for a while, and she still had the same conundrum. There was absolutely no progress with her appeal, and May was beginning to think she was cursed. Not even Solidad or Dawn could offer her a decent option for an appeal, not that she’d discussed it much with them. After all, Dawn had offered to loan May some of her own pokémon, though May wanted to use her own, not just for morale, but also to make a point that she could accomplish this with their support. As for Solidad’s suggestions, she’d just hinted that May would find inspiration in the least likely of moments. Whilst she knew the older woman meant well, May felt it did nothing to help her own mental block. She felt like a Ryhorn Racer whose pokémon’s foot had been broken, a wrestler whose Machamp had been knocked out or an artist whose Smeargle had abandoned it. Whilst those analogies seemed to fit her predicament, at the end of the day, she knew she had the full support of her pokémon, and that they would do anything to help her out of this rut.

Staring down at her Xtransceiver, May wondered if she should finally pick up the courage and contact the one person who’d always guided her, inspired her. Whilst he’d indefinitely gloat about his own abilities and prowess with appeals, and probably goad her on, claiming how inferior she was, the man had always found a way of instilling ideas in her mind in the least likely ways. It seemed that she really needed his support now, but how could she possibly bear to call him after so many years of silence from either side?

Shaking her head, she pushed aside such thoughts. The man’s stillness alone reiterated how alone she truly was in this. After all, Harley’s flare was dramatic and dark, Dawn’s was effeminate and flashy, whilst Solidad simply brought out elegance in even the unlikeliest of pokémon. Meanwhile, Drew had strived for perfection and sophistication, never accepting second best, even if it put a strain on his relationship with his Pokémon. Then there was May, she, well, she’d always gone for a firey spirit, going with the unlikely where possible, and encouraging her Pokémon to the best of her ability. 

Looking up at the sky, May wondered if there was any way she should pray to Arceus for inspiration, or if that would be desperation eating at her. If only there was a sign for her, but there wasn’t anything above her, but branches, blue sky and the glare of two bright suns above her. 

Blinking, she shook her head slightly. There was no way what she saw was real. Maybe she’d finally lost her mind from the stress. Max would laugh at her and tease her for needing the prescription glasses he’d worn as a child, though it would only be a poor attempt at hiding his own concern for her.

Rubbing her eyes, she blinked slightly, hoping to remove some of the strain from her eyes. Once she was certain her eyes were fine, she looked back up in the sky. There, before her, was the face of one sun to her left and another to her right. 

Blinking, it took her a moment to process what she was seeing before she gasped at the realisation. Yes, she was definitely seeing two suns in the sky above them.

‘Dawn, do you see that?’ May called as she grabbed her bluenette friend’s hand in shock. 

The woman beside her looked up to gasp as well, ‘no way, that’s impossible!’

‘What is?’ Solidad frowned, turning to glance at the two youngest of their group who were gaping up at the sky in clear awe.

‘Oh my Groudon, Solidad there’s two suns in the sky!’ Harley piped up, his green eyes widening in shock as he came to a halt.

Hearing this confirmation, May realised just how unlikely the scenario would be. Frowning, the woman took a leaf out of Iris’ book and began trying to climb the nearest tree to have a better look at the second sun. The keyword being trying; she’d never been as nimble as an Aipom and it was becoming increasingly obvious.

‘What do you think it is?’ Harley frowned, hands on either side of his hips as he stared up at the sky.

‘Could it be… Could it be a pokémon?’ Solidad gasped as she stared up at the sky, her pink hair flowing down to her lower back.

‘What kind of pokémon would cause a massive light in the sky, hon?’ Harley questioned, his tone filled with a scepticism May had heard all too often in her call centre job at Rockson’s Boutique. 

‘It’s up there, whatever it is,’ Solidad grimaced as they continued to walk towards the light. 

‘I’m curious as to what it is. Let’s consult May’s pokédex,’ Dawn muttered before glancing up at the brunette.

‘Why’re we consulting mine?’ May frowned as she searched her pockets for the electronic device. Not finding it, she took her eyes off the ground before losing her footing from a nearby large oak tree.

With a yelp, the brunette fell out of the tree and landed right on her behind. 

‘Ouch, that’s got to hurt,’ Dawn muttered as she and Solidad winced in unison. Harley, on the other hand, barely suppressed a giggle at May’s typically uncoordinated stumble. 

‘Ooft, that wasn’t fun,’ May muttered as she clambered up somewhat unsteadily, rubbing her behind as subtly as she could. She silently hoped she hadn’t earned herself a grass or mud stain in the process.

‘May, hon, are you ok?’ Harley questioned, sounding slightly concerned, though still extremely amused. 

To her credit, May didn’t blink at Harley’s amusement, nor did she take any offence. Instead, she took her pokédex out of her pocket and scanned the bright light near them. The clear voice of her electronic pokémon dictionary sounded through their forest, ‘Elgyem, the cerebral pokémon. Rumours of its origin are linked to a UFO crash site in the desert 50 years ago.’

‘So that’s an Elgyem,’ Solidad whispered as the light flickered and went out, revealing two saucers stacked together to create an oval. 

Focusing her gaze, May noticed that the flying mechanism wasn’t floating in a perfect line. How they hadn’t noticed it before was beyond her, but it seemed to be haphazard in its direction, one moment floating left, the next right, up, down. Furthermore, it seemed to be battered and beaten, with smoke billowing out of its lower disc.

‘Didn’t Ash, Cilan and Iris encounter an Elgyem in Unova?’ Dawn frowned, placing a finger on her lips in thought as she blinked up at the sky, appearing unperturbed by the direction of the flying object.

‘I’m almost certain they did, and from what they said, Elgyem was quite a smart pokémon,’ May responded as she watched the battered metal air craft hover slightly. If Elgyem was so intellectually gifted, how could its aircraft be so damaged? It didn’t make any sense to her, especially whilst watching it struggle to remain airborne. 

‘Hon, doesn’t it seem a bit odd that that spaceship is—how do I put this tactfully?—battered to the point of near collapse?’ Harley frowned, his green eyes surveying his friends with concern. 

‘Hmmm, I suppose so,’ May blinked as she saw a dark purple flash fill the air, aimed straight at the space ship. 

‘Look out!’ May called, stepping forward as the metal air craft swerved to avoid the dark type move. 

‘Oh no!’ Dawn gasped, covering her mouth in surprise. 

‘It’s dodged it,’ Solidad whispered, a small smile ordaining her face as the bluenette sighed in relief.

‘Except for that second beam right there!’ Harley yelped, jumping and clinging onto an unsteady May, who flailed slightly before landing on the earthy ground in a heap.

‘Whoa, it’s another flash of light!’ Dawn whispered, as a bright, blueish white flew through the air, hitting the edge of the spaceship.

With a thunderous bang, the attack’s noise resounded around the forest before the ship plummeted back to the ground.

Upon colliding with the ground, the earth shook powerfully, rumbling in response to the foreign object’s collision. As one, the group of friends fell onto the ground, losing their balance completely.

‘Well, that landing’s got to hurt,’ Harley grimaced as his gaze was focused on the dust cloud ahead. 

‘Elgyem,’ May whispered before clambering up and rushing forward. Ignoring the calls of her friends behind her, demanding, at least Harley was, for her to slow down. 

‘Please stay calm, Elgyem, I’ll come to protect you,’ May muttered as she jumped over a bush, landing unsteadily on her feet. Grimacing as her ankle rolled slightly, she ignored the pain and continued on, her pace only slightly hampered. 

‘May, wait up!’ Dawn’s voice hollered, though the brunette ignored it by jumping towards the spaceship just visible through the dust cloud. 

Reaching the metal contraption, May searched it for a lever. As soon as her hands touched the metal base, a door appeared and a light blue pokémon with an enlarged, oblong head looked out at her, large green eyes focused on her, drawing attention away from the indentations on either side of her head.

The extra-terrestrial pokémon blinked up at her, lifting a shaky hand up in the air, green, yellow and red lights flashing at her. 

‘I’m glad to see you’re all right,’ May whispered as she reached out to hold the pokémon. To her surprise, it whimpered in response, shrinking back from her touch. 

Blinking in response, the brunette withdrew her hand, whispering a quick, ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.’

In response, the psychic type communicated with its hand, flashing a series of red, green and yellow buttons. 

‘What’s happened here?’ Harley’s voice frowned, reiterating the question on May’s mind.

‘I’m not sure, but this Elgyem didn’t crash from the sky on its own. Something shot that dark pulse and that ice beam at it,’ May glowered as she focused her soft gaze on the wounded Pokémon.

A roar came from either side of the mini clearing, pulling May’s attention from her companions whilst sending a shiver of fear down her spine.

On her left was a large, purple pokémon with large, red and white eyes, its bright smile menacing and crude as its gaze was focused upon them. On her other size, however, was a shiny, blue hexagonal snow flake which floated towards them, making quite a few intimidating noises in the process.

‘Well that’s just rude,’ Harley huffed in anger, placing either hand on his hips in clear anger.

‘Who are they?’ Solidad frowned before she stumbled into Harley, closely followed by Dawn.

‘Oooft,’ Harley groaned as he fell into May, who in turn, fell onto the ground.

‘Can you please get off me,’ May groaned into the dirt, sensing the amusement of someone above her. 

‘W-what is that?’ Dawn squeaked, hiding her face in her hands.

‘Let’s see,’ May frowned as she scanned her pokédex. In response, it stated, ‘Cryogonal, the snowflake pokémon. They are composed of ice crystals. They capture prey with chains of ice, freezing the prey at -148° F.’ 

Moving her electronic device to her other side, May’s electronic pokédex stated, ‘Gengar, the shadow Pokémon. Sometimes, on a dark night, your shadow thrown by a streetlight will suddenly and startingly overtake you. It is actually a Gengar running past you, pretending to be your shadow.’

The Gengar, upon seeing her, launched a dark purple beam at her—a dark pulse attack. 

Taking a pokéball from her belt, May twirled on the spot and called, ‘Glaceon, take the stage!’

In a flash of white, her fresh snow pokémon twirled out of its ball, landing gracefully on her four legs. 

‘Use ice beam on that Gengar!’ May hollered, unaware of the Cryogonal behind her also launching an ice beam attack.

‘May, watch out!’ Harley yelped, rushing forward.

‘Quilava, use flame wheel on that Cryogonal!’ Dawn called, releasing her volcano pokémon. 

In response, the blue and cream coloured pokémon rushed forward, encasing its body in a wheel of flame.

‘Cryogonal, use ice beam!’ A voice snarled, pulling everyone’s attention to the other side of their small clearing.

‘Who’re you?’ Solidad frowned, blinking her eyes as she stared at the man.

‘The name’s AK, Pokémon Hunter, and I want that tiny little extra-terrestrial that you’ve got your dirty little hands on,’ the man laughed, his long red hair blowing in the wind as he closed his blue eyes. His black cape floated behind him for added effect, though May couldn’t be certain it was a natural reaction to a breeze she could not feel. 

‘Well you’re not getting it!’ May roared back, standing her ground and doing her best not to seem too intimidated.

‘May, hon, I think this is a fight we don’t want to get involved in,’ Harley muttered beside the woman, his green eyes contemplating the opponent on either side of them. 

‘Harley’s right, those pokémon look strong,’ Solidad whispered as her blue eyes flickered from one pokémon to the other. 

‘No way, I don’t care how strong those pokémon are, there’s one of Elgyem and two of them. Besides, don’t we have our own pokémon too? Glaceon wouldn’t ever be pleased knowing we had the opportunity to help someone and refused to try. If you’re both scared, that’s fine, but I’m fighting,’ May responded, as her ice type nodded in agreement.

Gengar, in response, roared its name, flexing its arms to the sky.

Humming a soft tune, May did her best to appear unaffected by the blatant intimidation tactic of the ghost type pokémon.

‘Glaceon, remember that it’s a ghost type so your normal type moves will be ineffective,’ May called to the quadruped pokémon.

In response, her Glaceon called her name, staggering its stance to react to any attacks from her opponent.

‘Oh, so you know about that, huh?’ The man roared with laughter as the giant icicle pokémon hovered before him.

‘Come on, Quilava, you can totally wipe that ice type with your fiery spirit!’ Dawn called, her deep voice reaching her pokémon, who snorted puffs of smoke in response.

‘Cryogonal, freeze that pathetic fire type; Gengar, scar that wretched ice pokémon with your dark pulse!’ AK snarled, moving his hands to point at each pokémon in question.

‘Freeze my Quilava? I’d like to see you try,’ Dawn winked, clicking her fingers in a signal to her pokémon.

May reacted instinctively, calling, ‘Glaceon, use ice beam back on that ghost type!’

With a large puff of smoke, Quilava covered her fur, creating a red wheel of fire. 

Watching the bluish white light fly through the air, meeting the fire type, Dawn giggled as it encased her pokémon in a perfectly even, shiny coat of ice.

‘Now, Quilava, make that thing toast!’ Dawn called as her fire type broke free of the ice, unleashing a powerful inferno from its mouth, spiralling an eerie blue flame of fire at the ice type.

Upon collision, the ice type fainted, calling its name weakly.

‘That’s my Quilava!’ Dawn beamed, winking and posing with her hand beside her head, her fire pokémon imitating her stance perfectly.

‘Right, Gengar, let’s use curse!’ AK hollered, clenching his fist before him as his ghost type leered at May’s Glaceon.

‘Oh no you don’t, you’re not affecting my pokémon every single turn of this battle! Glaceon, ice beam!’ May hollered back, her eyes widening in fear. If Glaceon was hurt, she wouldn’t forgive herself easily.

Glaceon, in response, let out a blinding bluish light, sending it straight at the ghost type.

In a flash, the purple pokémon disappeared into thin air, reappearing on the other side of the clearing.

With a small smirk, it created a nail out of thin air. 

A flash of pink light flashed past May, hitting the purple pokémon in the face, immobilising it. 

Glaceon blinked slightly before shooting another light of ice at opponent, encasing it completely.

‘Wh-what, that’s cheating!’ AK scowled before recalling both of his pokémon, his expression darkening as he gazed at the two younger women. 

‘Says the man attacking an innocent pokémon two against one!’ Dawn scoffed, crossing her arms angrily as she sent the man her darkest glare.

To his credit, the offending opponent didn’t shrink back from the bluenette’s fury, barely suppressing a yawn. 

‘Yeah, what kind of a person do you think you are?’ Harley growled, backing the younger blue haired woman’s claim with a fiery anger of his own, especially upon seeing her anger fall on deaf ears. 

‘That’s easy enough to see, I’m a Pokémon Hunter,’ the man guffawed, hitting his knee in humour that only he found amusing. 

‘Glaceon, freeze him,’ May snapped, clicking her fingers for effect. She didn’t want to see anyone treat her friends in this manner, especially after all she’d put them through.

Glaceon smirked once before sending the man an ice beam that had him frozen in his doubled over position. 

‘But what will we do with him now?’ Solidad frowned as she considered the frozen man before them. 

‘I’m more concerned about the Elgyem,’ May muttered before turning her gaze onto the crashed space ship. 

‘Hang on, hon, something is missing from this equation. Correct me if I’m wrong, but that pipsqueak pokémon seems to be missing from its homemade floater,’ Harley frowned, crossing his arms as he inspected the suddenly empty flying object. 

‘You’re right. Hey, Elgyem, where are you?’ May muttered, glancing around the deserted clearing. 

The psychic type had completely disappeared, leaving the brunette feeling confused and alone.

‘Never mind, we’ll take this buffoon to Officer Jenny,’ Dawn glowered, clearly still resenting the man for his snide remarks and attack on an innocent. 

‘How would we do that?’ May frowned as she considered the frozen man before them.

‘That’s easy, hon,’ Harley winked, as he not so subtly nudged Solidad.

The pink haired woman, in response, held out a pokéball, enlargening it. The woman with light blue eyes did not say anything other than throw the pokéball into the sky, to release a large, brown bird. 

‘Whoa, who’s that pokémon?’ Dawn whispered, glancing nervously at May, who smiled upon seeing the flying type’s yellow and red head feathers. 

With a sigh, May found her pokédex and scanned the dual type pokémon, ‘Pidgeot, the bird pokémon. This Pokémon has a dazzling plumage of beautifully glossy feathers. Many Trainers are captivated by the striking beauty of the feathers on its head, compelling them to choose Pidgeot as their pokémon.’

‘Wow, Pidgeot sounds awesome!’ Dawn giggled as she stepped forward to inspect the giant bird pokémon up close. 

The bird, in response, blinked its beady black eye before turning its attention onto its trainer. The pink haired woman smiled softly, ‘Pidgeot, do you think you could carry myself and the frozen hunter?’

The Pidgeot responded with a cheerful chirp before flying over to the frozen man, grabbing hold of his torso in his large pink claws. Doubling back, it hovered above the ground, waiting for its trainer to clamber on. 

With a small smile, Solidad walked to her pokémon. Glancing back at her friends, she called, ‘I’ll meet you at the Pokémon Centre when you arrive.’

‘Have a safe trip, Solidad!’ May called as she waved at her friend. 

‘We’ll see you in Vientown!’ Dawn beamed as Harley squealed, ‘Hon, you’d better wait for us, or I’ll never forgive you!’

‘Don’t worry, I’ll meet you there,’ Solidad responded before nudging Pidgeot on. 

The remaining trio stood still, watching her fly off with their captured Hunter.


	13. Chapter 12

Following Harley through the forest as he hummed ahead of May and Dawn, May glanced back at the path behind her. She was sorely worried about the Elgyem she’d left behind, though her male friend had reiterated to her numerous times not to fret about the psychic type pokémon. He was right, of course. Elgyem was a wild pokémon, however, May couldn’t help but wonder about the extra-terrestrial being. 

‘May, hon, how’re you going with your appeals?’ Harley called, reminding her once again of her slight problem. 

‘It’s going swell,’ May lied with a slight chuckle. She desperately wanted a distraction, but knew Harley and Dawn would not be side-tracked from their concerns.

‘May, you need more confidence in yourself!’ Dawn snapped, glowering at her friend in clear and uncharacteristic anger. 

‘What?’ Harley frowned, turning to stare at the blue haired friend behind him.

‘Seriously, the only thing holding her back is herself. I am telling you, May, that if you can call a customer to let her know that her 600,000 pokédollar wedding dress will be short picked and undelivered, then you can do this! Get your act together, and get it together before it’s too late!’ Dawn snapped at her older friend, taking her by surprise. 

‘I don’t know what to say,’ May whispered as she poked her fingers together anxiously. It wasn’t like she wasn’t trying to come up with a combination, she just hasn’t found the inspiration yet. All around them was green grass and brown ground, and she had neither of those pokémon types with her. It was hard to find inspiration without anything to spark her imagination. 

‘Don’t worry, hon, you’ve just got to find half of your move to have a fighting chance,’ Harley grinned, not so subtly elbowing Dawn’s side as he draped a languid arm over May’s shoulders.

‘Fighting chance?’ May frowned, finding the man’s words struck a chord with her. 

‘Yes, he’s right!’ Dawn beamed with more enthusiasm than usual. 

The man send the blue haired woman a disgusted glance before continuing down the forest. 

While she appeared eager, May could distinctly hear her friend mutter, ‘geeze, there’s no need for him to always be so icy to me.’

‘Icy?’ May frowned, considering her friends’ words. She had to undergo the icy doubt within her to stand a fighting chance at winning. 

‘That’s it! Harley, Dawn, you two are both absolutely fantastic!’ May giggled, taking Dawn’s hands in her own to dance around. 

‘We are?’ Harley blinked at her, turning to glance at the duo as Dawn squeaked at being dragged around by the brunette. Before May could reiterate the affirmative, Harley beamed, ‘we are!’

Hearing the man reiterate her statement, May couldn’t help but giggle. She wouldn’t be on a journey without some of Harley’s antics to spur her on and make her laugh. Now all she needed was to revive May’s Expeditions and she’d be all set. 

‘I think I may have one or two ideas,’ May winked at her friends who looked at her with pleased expressions. 

‘Took you long enough, hon,’ Harley chuckled as he led the way, swaying his hips as he walked.

‘Hehe, sorry about that,’ May muttered as she scratched the back of her head anxiously. 

‘Let’s get going,’ Dawn grinned as May followed behind, hearing the faint rustle of the leaves in the trees above her. 

With a soft smile, May considered her options of combinations for her pokémon. There honestly was only so many fighting and ice combinations she could make with her pokémon.

‘Next up, on May’s Expeditions,’ May muttered, placing her fingers before her face before her in a rectangle. She was walking behind Harley and Dawn, continuing in her faux reporter voice, ‘we are on our way to Vientown, where Solidad awaits us after taking our captor to Officer Jenny.’

‘May, what are you doing?’ Dawn frowned as she glanced back at the quirky brunette.

‘Oh, ignore her, hon. She’s just being a childish little so and so,’ Harley called over his shoulder, not deigning to turn back to them. 

‘Says you!’ May retorted, blowing a razz berry behind his back.

The bluenette, in response, chuckled as Harley scowled back at her. Again, unperturbed, May continued to, for lack of a better word, zoom in on the scenery around them. 

‘Honestly, pipsqueak, don’t you think you’re a bit old for that?’ Harley glowered as the branch in which he was standing under shook with the weight of an unseen pokémon. 

‘You’re never too old for anything!’ May retorted with a childish expression as Harley continued to walk on, Dawn following slowly. 

Finding a pretty flower, May lingered under the branch. The scent of the earthy soil filled her nose as she admired the pink colour of its delicate petals. In her reporter voice, she continued, ‘just look at this pretty flower, how strongly defiant it’s growing near this patch of grass at the base of this giant tree.’

Hearing something crack slightly above her, May frowned. A soft voice muttered what could only be a pokémon’s name before a shadow jumped across the branch above her. 

With a small gasp, May looked up and above her to see the Aipom above her jump out from the branch.

‘W-what’s going on?’ The brunette stuttered, not daring to believe her eyes. Blinking as she saw the branch angled precariously above her head. 

‘That’s easy enough to ask. I’m toast!’ May squeaked before glancing at her friends who were continuing their amble through the forest. 

When nothing came crashing on her head, May looked up anxiously. Above her was a giant branch, almost completely severed from the tree. One tiny strand was clinging on for what seemed like dear life, whilst an eerie pink glow surrounded the branch. 

With a yelp, May rolled out of the way, seeing the giant branch crash down to the ground where she’d momentarily been before. The flower she’d admired was gone, buried under the wooden debris that fell from above them. 

‘Who’s there?’ Harley’s voice bellowed as Dawn gasped.

‘Guys, it’s just the tree. I think a pokémon hit it so it fell, but otherwise, everything’s ok,’ May called back as she glanced around her. Something had saved her from the tree, but she couldn’t see any hint of her rescuer anywhere.

‘Well then hurry up and get over here, hon. We aren’t going to wait all day with Solidad being in Vientown before us!’ Harley snapped in clear vexation. He’d never been the most patient of rivals.

‘Oh, ok,’ May muttered as she began to consider a way to climb the giant branch. 

All of a sudden, her body glowed pink and she was lifted in the air, over the branch. 

Landing on the other side of the branch in a daze, it took the brunette a moment to decipher what had happened. With a grin, she called, ‘I’m not sure who you are, but thank you so much for helping me!’

With a light laugh, she turned to follow her friends. After all, she wanted to see Solidad and discuss possible appeals with the woman who acted as her second mentor. 

‘Come on, May! I’ll race you!’ Dawn called before rushing ahead.

‘Hey!’ May chuckled as she rushed past the man in the Banette costume, who seemed momentarily confused by the two’s hurried movements. 

‘Both of you twerps, get back here!’ Harley roared before rushing after them. 

‘What are you, Team Rocket?’ Dawn giggled as she ducked underneath a particularly low branch. 

‘I wouldn’t join with those useless rascals if I had a gun pointed to my head. Get back here so I can beat that nonsense out of you!’ Harley scowled, stomping his feet slightly before running after them. 

‘Catch us if you can!’ Dawn giggled whilst May anxiously tried to discourage her friend from making such challenging remarks to the ignitable man whose persona was almost that of a fire type. 

‘Get back here!’ Harley roared, his speed increasing exponentially to catch up with the two friends.

‘Last one there is a rotten egg, remember?’ May yelled back with a laugh, recalling the man expressing similar sentiments before she split from Ash, Brock and Max all those years ago.  
 


	14. Chapter 14

‘Come on, Blaziken, use sky uppercut!’ May called to her starter pokémon as something battered and silver flew before her, pulling her attention from her training routine. She didn’t notice as Blaziken executed the perfect move, nor how proud he was as he looked over at his Trainer.

 

The oval object seemed eerily familiar to the brunette, who watched something spark out from the machine, zapping her hand painfully as it flew straight at her.

 

With a squeak, May instinctively jumped down, dropping on the ground. The woman in question blinked, watching the unidentified contraption crash into a tree before sending parts flying.

Covering her face, she did not hear someone cuss from behind a nearby tree, nor the sound of steps scrambling forward.

 

Hiding her face in her arms, May barely registered as someone lay protectively over her, effectively shielding her from the rain of metallic objects.

 

Feeling the stranger’s warm body hover over hers protectively, May wondered where her pokémon, Blaziken and Skitty were. From past experiences, she knew that all of her partners were extremely protective of her. So why were they becoming lenient now? Were they hurt, injured by the object?

 

With a startled cry, May hurriedly pushed the person off of her. Ignoring their disconcerted grunt which escaped the stranger, she scrambled to her feet, calling, ‘Blaziken! Skitty! Arceus, please let them be safe!’

 

Not turning to glance at the hooded figure that fell to the ground beside her, she saw both of her pokémon staring at her from the other side of the clearing, seeming unconcerned about the stranger who had pushed her down.

 

Holding back a sob, she rushed to them, clutching her starter’s waist as the much smaller and pink kitten pokémon jumped into her awaiting arm, calling her name whilst wiggling her tail eagerly.

 

‘Oh thank Kyogre, you’re both all right! You scared me!’ May whispered, unaware of the shadow that was hovering over her.

 

‘May, I cannot believe you! You could have been hurt!’ A deep voice growled, filled with more anger and distress than May had heard in quite a while.

 

‘I-I’m sorry? Do I know you?’ The brunette whispered, turning to face the hooded figure with more fear than she cared to admit. Just her luck, she was out in a clearing, alone, her thoughts scrambled after something had nearly decapitated her. Even worse, her pokémon seemed to think the irate stranger was not a threat, and so they wouldn’t protect her from the stranger unless she told them to.

 

‘Do you have any idea of what you nearly just did? Didn’t you even think about the danger? Are you so self-absorbed that you cannot comprehend just how many people care about you? I always knew you were thick and clueless, but I never once imagined that you were stupid beyond belief!’ The voice continued to lecture her, pointing a finger right at her.

 

Blinking, May found herself struggling to contain her tears. Whoever this was, they had a Seviper tongue, and it made her feel like a Garbodor would in a kindergarten—like an outcast.

 

‘Rayquaza, May, you could have been seriously injured,’ the figure glowered at her, their tone softening at her apparent grief. Noticing a slight hint of regret in their voice, she looked up at them in disbelief. Furthermore, the use of the legendary green serpent located them as a Hoenn native, like her.

 

‘R-Rayquaza?’ May whispered, her tears forgotten as she glanced at her pokémon, who were staring at her and the stranger, appearing to be completely comfortable with the discourse of the two humans. Considering how wary they would have been if another person, say Harley, was belittling her, this itself was highly unusual.

 

‘Why aren’t they doing anything?’ May frowned to herself before once again glancing at the figure before her. If a stranger had come up to her, shouting and carrying on, her pokémon would have burnt them to a crisp before freezing them until they were immobile. They’d become quite protective of her over time, and she couldn’t quite grasp the notion that they’d stopped caring for her safety.

 

‘They know you,’ May whispered, noticing the figure’s suddenly hunched figure. With a frown, she continued, ‘and if they know you, then _I_ know you. Who are you?’

 

Glancing around at her surroundings, May noticed the damaged saucer in the tree, however chose not to act upon it at this moment. Slowly, she moved her hand to the figure’s teal coloured hood, trying to get a better look at them.

 

Almost immediately, a hand reached for her own, calloused and rough to the touch.

 

Blinking, May watched as the figure’s hand paused near hers, surrounded by an eerie, pink glow, withdrawing the unknown hand from her own wrist.

 

‘What?’ The brunette questioned, as the figure froze before her, surrounded by the same pink glow.

 

Turning around, May saw an Elgyem float to her, flashing the green, red and yellow lights on its small hands, its large green eyes focused on her.

 

‘Elgyem? I know you, don’t I? You were the one who helped me when that branch nearly crushed me, weren’t you?’ May whispered as her gaze focused on the extra-terrestrial pokémon.

 

In response, the pokémon flashed her a green light, hovering between her and the unseen figure.

 

‘Well, thank you for helping me through the forest, and for helping me here,’ May smiled softly, reaching forward hesitantly to pet the small creature’s oblong head.

 

In response, it closed its eyes and leaned into her touch, appearing to enjoy the physical contact.

 

‘You’re really warming up to me, aren’t you?’ May smiled softly before glancing back up at the figure. After all, who else would follow her this far and protect her using psychic?

 

‘So, who are you?’ She frowned before taking the hood in her hand and softly pushing it back, revealing luscious, chartreuse coloured hair and widened emerald eyes.

 

‘Drew!’ May gasped as the man’s face flushed and his eyes darted around, noticing how her hands pulled back from his face, as if burnt.

 

‘Hi May, it’s been a while,’ the man responded with a slight smile, though it seemed strained as the woman stared at him in shock. She barely registered his now familiar, teal coloured jacket which had been zipped closed, though a purple shirt was visible underneath it. His pants, surprisingly, were black, though the heavy boots on his feet were teal, too.

 

‘Yes, I suppose it has,’ May muttered back, ignoring the chuckles of Blaziken and Skitty near them, apparently enjoying her shocked and flustered state. While she’d wanted to see him, she’d never thought she’d meet him like this.

 

Realising he probably wasn’t going to instigate further conversation, May found herself internally kicking herself at the awkward silence. She suddenly became painfully aware of just how much time had passed since she had last seen the man. He now stood a foot taller than her, and seemed as confident as ever.

 

‘I can’t believe you’re here,’ May began lamely, glancing up at him before forcing her sapphire eyes away, a flush filling her face.

 

‘Yeah, same to you,’ Drew chuckled, his emerald eyes never leaving May’s face as Blaziken tittered knowingly.

 

‘Congratulations,’ May continued as she stared at her feet.

 

‘For what?’ The man questioned back, his tone filled with confusion.

 

‘For beating me to the Top Coordinator title. And thank you for helping me back there,’ May smiled as she returned her eyes back up to him, noticing his more relaxed posture. He looked well, and she was happy for it.

 

Licking his lips, the man chuckled, ‘we always knew I’d beat you to that. You left the circuit, if I didn’t beat someone who wasn’t contending, I’d be a miserable excuse of a Coordinator.’

 

‘I suppose,’ the woman whispered, flushing at the honesty of his words.

 

‘So, you’re finally back in the circuit,’ the man muttered, placing his hands in his pockets as his emerald eyes took in her altered physique. Elgyem had apparently noticed the two knew each other and decided the green haired man was no threat to the brunette, so was hovering before Blaziken and Skitty in a curious manner.

 

‘Yeah, I suppose I am. We can thank Harley for that,’ May chuckled, her voice sounding slightly breathy as the trio of pokémon moved beside her.

 

‘You’ve made a friend,’ Drew smiled, his eyes considering the light blue pokémon.

 

‘I hope so,’ May smiled as she petted the light blue pokémon’s indented oblong head. It flashed its multi-coloured hands at her in response.

 

‘How’ve you been, Drew? I’m sorry I wasn’t at the Grand Festival,’ May frowned, glancing up at him with a slight flush, her eyes lingering only a little too long on his toned arms.

 

‘You’re sorry? Is that all you can say? Well, since you asked, I suppose I can say that I’ve been well considering one of my best friends and rivals disappeared for years without a trace. Where were you? Why didn’t you even think to contact me? Did you think that I wouldn’t care, that I’d just forget you? Why did you disappear, May?’ The chartreuse haired man frowned at her, his emerald eyes ablaze with an anger May had only seen once before—directed at his partner, Absol, for seeming to fail him.

 

Suppressing the urge to cower, May responded in a sheepish tone, ‘I’m so sorry, Drew, I wanted to talk to you, I really did, but my dad wasn’t well so I had to take over the Gym. One thing lead to another, and soon enough I found that I couldn’t bring myself to talk to any of you, bar Solidad, who knew from the start. You saw how she acted when I disappeared, she was so worried that she couldn’t even concentrate. I’m sorry, Drew, I never meant to just disappear like that. If I’d thought for a moment that you’d be so worried about me, I wouldn’t have just left you all.’

 

‘Yeah, well I always thought that you and I weren’t just rivals. I always thought that I could trust you to talk to me when things got rough. I suppose that’s my fault for trusting a little girl like you, hey?’ Drew snarled, his eyes filled with a disappointment May had always feared to see in them.

 

‘W-what?’ May whispered, unable to believe her ears. He’d lost trust in her because she’d been afraid to trust him? Could it be true?

 

‘You heard me. You weren’t just playing Nurse Joy with your dad, were you?’ Drew spat, his emerald eyes ablaze with anger.

 

‘Drew, please, you have to believe me. My dad had to be flown to the hospital in Mauville City by Wattson. He was so ill, the doctors didn’t think he’d make it,’ May whispered as tears filled her eyes. This was every bit as disastrous as she’d feared. Dawn had always told her to be optimistic, but she’d been far too lucky as it was.

 

‘What’s the point in believing in you when all you did was push me away? I waited for you!’ Drew muttered, his tone more bitter than May had ever heard before. It made her feel terrible, knowing she’d made him feel so bitter.

 

‘Drew, I’m sorry, you have to believe that,’ May whispered as the tears she’d been trying to suppress began to fall. She’d give anything for his forgiveness, he was always the one who pushed her on, encouraged her and inspired her. She couldn’t imagine going through contests without him being there to support her.

 

‘Sorry isn’t good enough when you never even bothered to contact me,’ Drew scowled at her as the tears began to fall from her eyes.

 

Hiding his eyes beneath his hair, Drew turned to walk away, ignoring May’s sobs.

 

Watching him go, May’s shoulders shook as her fire pokémon took a step towards the green haired man, his blue eyes ablaze with anger.

 

Letting out a burst of fire, Blaziken effectively stopped Drew, the fire type growled his name, his blue eyes filled with a fury the chartreuse haired man hadn’t seen before. To the pokémon’s surprise, he stared at the pokémon with sad eyes, his lips pulled back in a grimace.

 

Trying to ignore her immense guilt, May let out a calming breath. In a shaky voice, May called out to her starter pokémon, ‘let him go, Blaziken. He has every right to be mad, and you know it.’

 

Placing her head in her hands as Elgyem floated before her, effectively shielding her from view, May didn’t notice as Drew turned to her, his emerald eyes filled with regret. She didn’t notice as he whispered something to Blaziken whose eyebrows lifted in surprise as he offered the fire type a silver ring.

 

The man glanced back at the teary eyed brunette and grimaced before disappearing in the shadows, once again covering his face with his brightly coloured hood.

 

Upon realising the man was gone, May sank to her knees in disappointment, letting out her grief as her pokémon crowded around her.

 

Elgyem glanced from her to the man before glaring once and disappearing into the trees, following him.

 

The brunette was too absorbed in her grief to notice that her Skitty, under instruction of her fire and fighting type pokémon, rushed away.

 

‘Blaziken, I feel terrible,’ May sobbed as she clutched her starter pokémon, who hugged her back his blue gaze troubled, a silver ring held tightly in his claws.

 

A twig snapped nearby, making both the brunette and Blaziken glance in the direction. A bush rustled slightly before revealing the dark blue hair of her friend, clutching the small, pink pokémon which had rushed away.

 

Upon seeing her friend on the ground in tears, the aspiring Poké Stylist’s eyes widened. With a squeak, she rushed over, whispering, ‘May, what’s happened? Are you ok?’

 

‘I think so,’ May responded with a small smile, though it didn’t fool her close friend.

 

‘Come on, May, what do you take me for? You’re crying your eyes out, and I know you’ve got a good excuse. After all, working in Rockson’s gave both of us quite the thick skin, didn’t it?’ The young woman glowered at her friend, who responded with a sheepish smile.

 

Knowing her friend wouldn’t give up, and that she’d pull others into the mess if required, May quickly found herself explaining everything. From Elgyem’s loss of control over its space ship, right down to Drew’s cold demeanour.

 

‘He did what?’ Dawn’s scowl rang around the clearing as May winced slightly at the response of one of her best friends.

 

‘You heard me, he just left. He wouldn’t even accept my apology,’ May whispered as the tears once again began to fall.

 

‘Well we’re not letting you take that one lying down! If we’re going to prove to him that you’re worth ten times as much as he himself is, then we’re going to have to do it in the best way we know how. Come on, we’ve got training to do!’ Dawn scowled before pulling her friend to her feet.

 

‘Dawn, I don’t even know about doing contests anymore,’ May muttered as she demurely glanced up at her friend, knowing her friend would understand her conflictions better than others.

 

‘Nonsense, we’re just going to have to remind you of what it is you love about them. It wasn’t just your rivalry with Drew that kept you going, and you know it. Besides, consider your contest dress on me,’ Dawn winked at her friend, who flushed at the thought.

 

‘I couldn’t do that to you, Dawn,’ May responded nervously, knowing that Dawn’s finances were stretched with the upcoming opening of her boutique.

 

‘Don’t be foolish, I’ll make it my best design yet. It’s not like you have anything to wear, anyway.’ Dawn winked with an eager smile, petting May’s arm in a reassuring manner.

 

I’ll teach him to play with your heart! Besides, consider it good advertisement for my brand!’ Dawn continued in quite a menacing tone, making May wonder what Kenny had done this time to put the bubbly bluenette in such a mood.

 

‘Now, let’s go back to the Pokémon Centre so I can take your measurements,’ Dawn beamed, taking May’s arm in her own before practically dragging the uncertain brunette to their shared room, her gaze lingering slightly on the ring in Blaziken’s claws.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry if Drew seemed a bit OOC, it's hard to imagine how he'd react to seeing May in the anime.


	15. Chapter 15

Sitting in the waiting room of the Contest Hall, May tried to suppress her anxiety. She’d slept in that morning, so had missed the special guest who’d been requested to open the contest. However, that didn’t perturb her mood. No, the problem was that she had absolutely no idea how the crowd would react to her reappearance. She was certain that Harley had spread rumours of her once again participating in contests, and she wasn’t sure how to feel about that. Sure, she knew that the man was only trying to help her in her comeback, but he was still setting high expectations that she wasn’t sure she could meet.

Next to her sat Elgyem, who had taken to following her around, though usually at a distance she wouldn’t notice. It seemed worried about her troubled visage, though did nothing to appease her. After all, Elgyem wasn’t her pokémon, even if it had followed her around, and it didn’t seem too certain of how to appease her concerns.

‘I’m so nervous, I didn’t get any sleep at all last night, so I ended up sleeping in this morning,’ May whispered to the pokémon as she once again tried to suppress her nerves. She certainly hadn’t missed this, and knew that her pokémon would come out of their pokéballs to comfort her if it didn’t ruin their seals.

Watching Elgyem’s hands change colour, May muttered, ‘I wish I knew what you were saying, I’m sure it would make me feel better.’

The light blue pokémon frowned once before leading her to a nearby mirror, waving at her altered physique.

Glancing at the stranger before her, May frowned at the woman who stared back at her. She doubted even her mother would recognise her in the outfit Dawn had made for her, even if she did begrudgingly admit she looked good. Instead of a normal top, she wore a white lace corset above a long skirt, which changed colour from white, to light pink and then red at her feet. She wore a headscarf with a similar colour scheme which attached to a cape of the same fabric. Hiding the lower half of her face was a sheer veil, which was also pink. If she’d seen it in a shop, she would have considered it a nice outfit, but definitely not her style. Furthermore, she was wearing a silver ring with a sapphire stone, in the shape of a small heart. Dawn had also insisted she wear a matching earring and necklace set of a similar style to match the ring, though she hadn’t explained how she’d attained it. May had profusely wanted to refuse, however, Dawn had been as pushy as ever, and insisted May wear it, despite her qualms.

Clearly, Dawn was not going to let May’s distress at Drew’s remarks slide by. No, she wanted Drew to kick himself for those responses, and May had no say in whether she was taking part in this childish revenge.

‘And next up, coming back after years of silence, making her first contest debut after spending a significant amount of time in her father’s place as Gym Leader is a young woman who has travelled to be here in Almia today from the far off region of Hoenn. Now, put your hands together for May, from Petalburg City, the Princess of Hoenn!’ A warm voice rang, cutting through May’s thoughts.

‘Oh, there I go again, stressing about this contest and losing track of everything! We’re going to be late!’ May groaned as she rushed ahead, hurriedly ensuring her headscarf remained intact, not noticing a silent figure in the shadows, watching her rush past.

Walking out onto the arena, May smiled and waved at the audience, relishing their cheers for her. She didn’t recognise the hooded figure who stood near the entrance, watching as Elgyem floated beside May, flashing various patterns with its hands.

‘And now, take the stage, Blaziken and Skitty!’ May called, twirling on her left leg before throwing two pokéballs in the air.

Whilst her fire starter roared its name as it appeared from his pokéball in a shower of fiery sparks, Skitty revealed herself in contrasting shiny sparkles, reflecting the lighting in the arena. Blaziken stood his ground whilst the energetic pink pokémon danced around him, chasing her tail.

‘Now, Skitty, use blizzard on the floor!’ May called, not so much as glancing at the judges. This was her element, this was her home. She had to prove her worth and Groudon and Kyogre would both damn her if she failed now.

With a deep breath, her furry pink pokémon rushed to the centre of the stage before twirling around it, releasing its frozen breath.

‘Blaziken, you know what to do,’ May winked as she pointed at her normal type.

With a deep cry, the fire type rushed forward, grabbing hold of its normal type partner.

‘Now, it’s time for sky uppercut!’ May called, jumping and lifting an arm in the air as she said it.

Blaziken, upon hearing her cry, called his name, using the momentum from his move to launch Skitty into the air.

‘Now, Skitty, use thunderbolt!’ May cried, hoping this would work. Only Dawn had seen her appeal, and the young SInnoh native had given her this idea.

As Skitty covered the frozen arena with yellow flashes of thunder, she clicked her fingers, a sure sign for her Blaziken to utilise their next move.

As practiced, her fire type raced around the stage, scattering the ice with blaze kick, resulting in a multi coloured shine on the ground, reflecting the yellow thunder and multi coloured warm flame.

‘And now, Blaziken, on the ground!’ May called, punching her arm down for effect. Her pokémon responded by quickly collecting a still airborne Skitty before sending a thundering kick down to the ground, shattering the icy field so it broke into a million little pieces, reflecting the light, remains of thunder and fire.

Blaziken bowed in unison with the aspiring Top Coordinator as Skitty sat perched on his shoulder, appearing more demure than either of them had ever seen it.

‘Wow, what a glamorous show!’ The same voice as before called, slicing through May’s thoughts and bringing her back into reality.

‘The crowd definitely loves it from the deafening cheers, but there’s one question going through our starlet’s head: Will this spectacular display be enough to please the judges?’ The voice continued as May’s sapphire eyes focused on the familiar orange curls belonging to someone from the Meridian family. The woman’s blue eyes met May’s and she winked, the pink, folded bandana holding her hair back from her face, her arms and shoulders covered in an opened, light pink and white varsity jacket. She wore an aqua tube top underneath, and white short shorts. Her legs were covered in light pink leg warmers, whilst her feet had canvas shoes which were coloured white, aqua and a light pink.

‘Thank you, Adrian,’ the familiar face of Raoul Contesta smiled, his black eyes shining with delight, his aging hair reflecting the hot stage lighting. The man paused in his response to send a brief smile at May, before he stated, ‘May’s pokémon appear strong, and haven’t lost any of their elegance in their time away from contests. I think I’d be the first to say that it’s great to see this familiar face back in our ranks and I hope she, and all our other contestants, do well in the contests to come.’

May nodded slightly at his positive smile, feeling her stomach blossoming into butterfrees and beautiflies. A score of eight appeared on the black screen underneath his grey desk.

Next was Mr Sukizo, a brown haired man with eyes rivalling those narrowed slits Brock had. He was a man of little words, and that hadn’t changed at all as he stated, ‘remarkable.’

The man pressed a button and the mark seven appeared on the screen.

Trying not to grin at the memories which filled her, May’s attention turned to the next judge. Blinking, May felt surprise to notice that the judge was not Nurse Joy. Instead, at the nurse’s usual position was none other than Lisia. The bubbly woman with turquoise hair, parted on either side of her face and pulled into a high ponyta-tail winked very obviously at May.

Her usual contest gear of a blue bow over a slimming white top and frilly blue and white shorts made May smile. At least the Hoenn native hadn’t changed since the last time they’d encountered each other.

‘Hiiii ev-er-y-bo-dy! May was simply mar-vel-ous! Her debut was sparkling, beautiful and revealed the connection she shares with her pokémon. To give her a low score would simply not do her justice!’ The bubbly Contest Star grinned, winking at the audience before elegantly pressing a button to reveal a nine.

Blinking, May couldn’t help but quickly do the math as the crowd roared in her favour. She gotten twenty-four out of thirty, an incredibly high score considering how out of practice she was.

‘Thank you so much, guys! I owe that amazing mark all to your amazing hard work!’ May whispered, pulling her two pokémon in a tight hug before recalling them. 

With a small smile, May returned to the back area for contestants, relishing the familiarity of it all.

‘Well, you did well,’ a voice glowered, sounding sarcastic to May’s ears.

‘Who are you?’ May frowned, unsure of how to respond to the clear jibe.

‘I’m the one who’s going to show you how to do it properly. Try not to be too jealous of my prowess,’ the man bragged before stalking out of the door.

Blinking, May shrugged at Elgyem before taking a seat on the awaiting seats.

Glancing up at the screen, she saw the braggart on the screen, an Alakazam lifting Breloom into the air, twirling it elegantly as it unleashed energy ball after energy across the stage.

The Breloom landed softly on its feet as Alakazam released its hidden power at them, causing them to smash into tiny sparkles which surrounded the stage.

‘Beautiful,’ May whispered as Elgyem sat on her lap, cowering at the various glances the other coordinators in the room threw at her.

‘I’d give it a five, maybe a six if I was feeling lenient,’ a familiar voice shrugged from beside her.

‘Drew!’ May squeaked, turning to see the man standing beside her. To see him so soon filled her with disbelief, and she clenched her fist with nerves, the pain of her nails digging into her skin flowing up her arm.

Sapphire eyes met emerald as the man glanced at her. She saw him grimace slightly before he offered her a fresh, red rose, as beautiful as the first he’d ever given her.

‘Here, it’s a peace offering of sorts,’ Drew offered, giving her a small smile as she bashfully took it in her hand.

Enjoying its sweet smell, May hesitantly asked, ‘Beautifly isn’t with us at the moment, care to tell me if this is for Blaziken, Glaceon, Munchlax or Skitty?’

The green haired man briefly flicked his fringe out of his eyes before smirking, ‘I’m sure you know the best response to that.’

Smiling down at the rose, May tried to fight the flush which must have been on her face. After all, Drew was as smooth as ever, and didn’t seem nearly as angry at her as the last time they’d met.

‘Didn’t you think of dressing up for this contest?’ May frowned at him, disappointed that he was in the same garb she’d seen previously.

‘If you hadn’t been snoring as contently as your Munchlax in bed, you wouldn’t have missed my awesome appeal,’ Drew scoffed, flicking his hair before holding a hand at her flushed, angered cheeks.

‘Why, you! Some of us couldn’t sleep a wink last night, you know?!’ May glared at the man who couldn’t help but chuckle.

‘You haven’t changed a bit, have you?’ He grinned at her, his emerald eyes void of all their previous anger.

‘Not really,’ May muttered, sheepishly pointing her fingers together as Elgyem used psychic to lift the rose over her veil and onto her ear, balancing it perfectly.

‘Well, that’s a good thing. They’ll be announcing the people proceeding soon, so pay attention,’ He chuckled again before sauntering out of the room, as suave as ever.

Blinking, May shared a bemused glance with the pokémon near her. It flashed its hand at her, appearing to question the man’s sanity.

‘Don’t look at me, I haven’t seen him in years and he still confuses me,’ May shrugged slightly before Adrian’s voice filled the screen, ‘aaaand it’s that time again, folks! For this contest, we’ve only got four runners up to get the Vientown ribbon! Who will be the winner? Check the screen now for answers!’

Grimacing, May whispered, ‘I can’t look!’

Sensing Elgyem’s soft touch, May blinked once before glancing up to see the hooded face of K-master, the smug act that had followed hers. Freddie, a normal-type trainer was runner up, followed by herself and Courtney, a purple haired woman who seemed strangely familiar to May.

‘We made it!’ May beamed before hugging the extra-terrestrial pokémon, who seemed as delighted as she was.

‘Now, we’re shuffle the decks to see who’ll be up against who!’ Adrian continued as May placed her anxious hands on her knees.

‘And it’s decided! Freddie is up against K-Master whilst May and Courtney battle it out to see who will go to the semi-finals!’ Adrian called, punching the air for effect.

‘Well, Elgyem, we’ll see how we go,’ May whispered as the psychic type flew onto her shoulder, apparently noticing her unease.

‘I’m as ready as I’ll ever be,’ the young woman grimaced before heading down the corridors, head held high.


	16. Chapter 13

Having met up with Solidad in the Pokémon Centre sooner than expected, the group had rested well before undergoing personal tasks and meeting for lunch. By some miracle, Harley had forgiven both May and Dawn for their audacious actions, and had even mentioned the prospect of shouting them lunch. That was how May found herself back in the Pokémon Centre’s café, eating a bowl of ramen. 

Enjoying the delicious flavour, May couldn’t help but beam as Harley sat beside her, wolfing down a bowl of udon of his own. Dawn, on the other hand, sat opposite them, looking quite uneasy, whilst Solidad simply ate at her own pace, reading the latest news on her PokéNav. 

To ensure they met up with Solidad in a timely manner, the trio had rushed the last dredged of their journey to Vientown, barely taking any breaks. Whilst May had mirrored Harley’s determination that they reach the town soon, she still felt like something was following her, watching their every move. 

‘Hey, May, didn’t Misty say that she’d contact us today?’ Dawn frowned as she glanced at May, probably hoping to deter her eating habits by distracting her. 

‘Yes, she’ll probably contact us soon. You know she likes to swim in the morning,’ May smiled briefly in response as Solidad uncharacteristically choked on her lunch. 

‘Solidad?’ Dawn frowned as the purple haired man before her gasped at Solidad’s unusual reaction, once again, food flying from his mouth, though his companions didn’t appear to notice. 

‘Lance has been overthrown,’ Solidad frowned as she met May’s gaze opposite her. 

‘What? Has Ash beaten him already?’ May squeaked, dropping her chopsticks onto the table in surprise. She thought Ash would have told her if he’d put the challenge date earlier, but clearly that wasn’t the case. 

‘That’s not possible, his battle isn’t for another month or so,’ Dawn frowned, placing her own chopsticks on the table as she poked her lip with her front fingers thoughtfully. In a hesitant manner, she continued, ‘someone else must have risen up to challenge the Champion, but who?’ 

‘It was by somebody called Leaf,’ Solidad corrected, placing the device on the table as she watched her friends’ reactions. 

‘Who’s that?’ Dawn frowned, scratching her head slightly as she looked up at the pink haired Top Coordinator.

‘Her name sounds familiar, but I can’t remember where I’ve heard about her. Do you think she’s friends with Brendan?’ May muttered as she crossed her arms, sapphire eyes cast upwards in deep thought. 

‘Well, whoever or whatever Leaf is, their parents must have had a few too many rock tombs fall on their heads. I mean, naming your child Leaf? What’s next, Oak? Or worse, Exeggutor!’ Harley scoffed, crossing his arms in irritation. 

‘Hey, I’ll have you know that people can be named after trees! I know Brendan, Orlando and Professor Birch, for your information!’ May glowered at the man, hoping to silence him with her anger. After all, she didn’t take well to her friends being insulted, ever. 

‘And I personally know Gary and Professor Oak, as well as Professor Rowan! There’s nothing wrong with having a surname named after a piece of nature!’ Dawn agreed, dropping her chair over in her haste in chastising her companion. 

‘Say what you want, twerpettes, but you’re forgetting the important factor. Lance is no longer the Champion of Kanto and Johto. By all accounts, this Leafy Oak person may be an incredible stranger, and I’d hate to annoy them,’ Harley lectured before turning a meaningful eye on May. 

‘Hey, what are you looking at me like that for! I haven’t done anything!’ May glared back at him in anger, her food forgotten before her. 

‘Isn’t it obvious? Hon, you’re the kind of girl who attracts the attention of all the significant characters in this story. Honestly, knowing you, Leaf will be here tomorrow with a razz berry cake, congratulating you on your undoubtedly awesome contest debut,’ Harley scowled, sarcasm and jealousy lacing his tone whilst Solidad smiled in amusement at his statement. 

Just as May was about to respond that the notion was ridiculous, and not just because the contest wasn’t tomorrow, her Xtransceiver rang. 

Sending her companions a brief, yet apologetic glance, May excused herself and answered her phone, ‘hello, this is May speaking.’

‘Hey stranger, I thought you’d call me when you arrived in your location. Clearly you kept that promise of yours. What’s your status, Gym Leader?’ An all too familiar voice filled May’s ear, making her grin in eager anticipation. 

With a light laugh, she beamed, ‘Steven, I’m so sorry, I got caught up in being a tourist again and completely forgot to tell you where I was! I’m sorry, but it’s great to hear from you! What do you need assistance with?’

Whilst she knew that this may sound like a courtesy call, it wasn’t necessarily that. Steven had requested her status, which meant he wanted a report. Walking slightly from her seat, she leaned casually against a well decorated home in the Pokémon Centre.

‘It’s good to hear your voice too, May. Care to confirm your status?’ The man’s voice chuckled in her ear, surprising her. 

‘Ok, I suppose, though shouldn’t you be confirming your status to me?’ May muttered, glancing back at her trio of friends who were appearing to be preoccupied, though she knew they were sending her furtive glances behind her back. Talking to Steven, whilst lifting her mood, sometimes reminded her of her duties that she’d shirked back onto the older man, scared of the responsibilities she’d had to face, in the past and in the future.

‘That doesn’t sound good,’ Steven muttered, his voice laced with worry. There was a pause, in which she heard the distinctly concerned voices of Wallace and Brendan in the background.

‘You called me when you’re not alone?’ May frowned down the Xtransceiver, recalling that Steven rarely contacted her when there was company. 

‘Wallace came for a visit and Brendan popped by my apartment with Wally and Orlando to see if I’d heard anything from you. It’s good to see you’re keeping your friends in the loop. So, where are you?’ Steven’s voice beamed down the phone, sounding a little too fauxly energetic for her liking. 

With a pout, May frowned, ‘Am I on speaker phone?’

‘You bet you are, May! Took you long enough to notice it too,’ Brendan’s voice surprised her as he called down the phone, almost drowning out Wally’s chuckle.

‘Steven! You are such a stony so and so!’ May pouted in disappointment, ignoring the startled glances from strangers around her. 

‘Hey, you didn’t say you didn’t want to be on speaker!’ Steven chuckled, undoubtedly imagining her irked expression. 

‘He’s got you there,’ Orlando’s voice laughed as May once again found herself flustered by three of her closest friends. They weren’t together often, but when they were, they often teamed up against her.

‘Come on, guys! You know I hate it when you pick on me together!’ May scowled at them from where she stood, glowering at the confused glanced her trio of friends were sending her. 

‘Yeah, the only one who’s missing is Max,’ Orlando chuckled as Wally chuckled, his voice sounding sickly even over the electronic device. 

‘Wally, have you been taking your medication?’ May scolded slightly, knowing that her friend’s guardians would worry. 

The man, in response, offered an uncommitted response, his voice wheezing slightly. 

‘Wally, you have to look after yourself! If you won’t do it for yourself, do it for your family and friends who’ll worry about you!’ May scowled, knowing her friend wouldn’t listen to her argument. After all, his health had improved drastically with his move to his uncle’s house. 

With a soft sigh, she continued, ‘to answer your other question, Steven, I’ve met up with Max briefly in Almia. They’re starting up contests here and I’m apparently trying for the Top Coordinator title once again. Harley seems to think I’ll do swimmingly, because he’s convinced the new Indigo League Champion will be flying here to meet me after my contest with a razz berry cake.’

‘And you’re telling me that you’re only ok, why? May, I’ll find this Leaf Green woman and get her to meet you there myself!’ Orlando scoffed slightly, sounding completely unconvinced. Everyone she was talking to knew of her unattained wish of being a Top Coordinator. 

‘Isn’t it obvious, Orlando?’ Brendan growled back, apparently ready to start a fight with his younger brother. 

‘She’s lost her confidence,’ Wallace’s voice explained, making her wince at the sound of his smooth voice, reiterating the problem she was trying to overcome.

‘How is that possible? May took on Team Aqua and Magma with barely any of us there to help her!’ Orlando expressed, sounding like he was choking on something, though May couldn’t begin to understand what it was.

In a sheepish voice, May muttered, ‘I can’t do it anymore, guys. I’m trying, but I’m not sure I can get all that grace and beauty back. My pokémon are strong, there’s no doubt about it. But can I make them shine?’

‘Of course you can, you nearly won the Wallace Cup,’ Wallace encouraged, his tone more optimistic than the brunette felt.

‘And remember that Lisia herself was impressed with your pokémon’s beauty,’ Wally reassured the brunette too, once again reminding May that she could rely on her friends for anything. 

‘I know, but I’m still scared,’ May whispered as she ran a hand through the top of her ponyta-tail. 

‘That’s understandable, you’re human, May. But if you don’t take the chance now, you’ll never forgive yourself. Sure, your friends may have the title you’re dreaming about, but you’ve achieved what no one else has dared to dream of. You’ve taken on two organisations and won!’ Brendan scowled down at the phone, reminding her again of why they were such good friends. 

‘I don’t see how that’s impressive. Ash has done similar things too,’ May muttered dejectedly, clinging onto straws. She knew she was being pathetic, but she couldn’t help it. How could she think she was great when she had such inspiring friends?

‘Please, he didn’t take down two in one go. Besides, you know he’s got the same unusual luck that you do, and he’s, like you, only now trying to achieve his dream. Think about how long he’s been trying, May. You’ve achieved a lot more than he has, and you weren’t trying to do any of it,’ Brendan lectured into her ear, knowing that her crippled ego was once again damaging her chances.

‘Besides, you’ve really improved your Gym,’ Steven added, making May’s heart warm for the older man. 

‘I suppose you’re right, though it’s not my Gym,’ May muttered as she heard the tell-tale noise of another inbound call in the background.

‘Is that someone trying to reach you or us?’ Wally frowned, his voice wheezing slightly.

‘Probably me, I was expecting another call. Before I go, thank you all so much for your support, it means the world to me. I’ll talk to you all as soon as I can,’ May grinned before hearing their responses, reiterating their support for her.

With a light laugh, she hung up and glanced down at her Xtransceiver. Sure enough, there was a call from none other than Misty, the Cerulean Gym Leader. With a small smile, May knew exactly how to answer this call. She and Misty often liked to call each other out, and Misty most likely wouldn’t expect May’s chipper greeting.

‘Hello, the strongest Gym Leader in Hoenn answering,’ May grinned into the device after selecting answer. 

‘Hi, Hoenn’s strongest leader, you are speaking the number one Gym Leader of not just Kanto, but also Johto. Suck it up, princess, I’ll always be the more impressive one out of us two!’ Misty’s voice laughed down the phone, making her smile. Yes, she definitely loved her friends. 

‘Oh really? Someone’s ego is getting out of hand,’ May giggled back, picturing the orange haired woman’s cerulean eyes rolling at her response. 

‘Hey, that says a lot, coming from you, Little Miss Strongest! Besides, I may be battling Leaf soon, but you don’t hear me stressing or gloating about that. Even if I did, though, that doesn’t mean that I’ve got the ego of her lover boy!’ Misty roared, reacting with an anger May knew all too well. She’d still never quite understood what Ash saw in her friend’s anger, but May knew that love could be incredibly inconceivable to others. After all, Misty would indefinitely tell her off for her own affections on a certain green haired Top Coordinator. 

‘Wait, you’re battling Leaf? As in the same Leaf that just won the Championship title?’ May squeaked down the line as she headed back to her group of friends. After all, Dawn would want to say something to the tomboyish red head, too.

‘Yes, she’s a good friend of mine,’ Misty responded, acting blasé, though May wasn’t fooled. 

‘How can you just say that so calmly? You’re taking on the Championship Battle before Ash?’ May hissed down the line as she took a seat beside a disgruntled Harley, who always resented being left out of any drama.

‘Who’s doing what now?’ Dawn frowned, glancing up at the brunette in confusion. After all, her friends had only just heard her express the last statement without any background to it. 

‘Misty is taking on Leaf,’ May frowned as Misty had become unusually quiet on the other side of the Xtransceiver.

‘She’s what? Who is this Misty?’ Harley frowned, blinking at the brunette in disbelief, apparently taking a moment or two to decipher the statement.

‘No way! MISTY WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? SHE IS THE CHAMPION OF TWO REGIONS! HOW CAN YOU DO THIS TO YOURSELF AND YOUR POKÉMON!’ Dawn hollered down the communication device, almost breaking it in her eagerness to snatch it from the stunned brunette before her. 

Whatever Misty had responded with left Dawn wide eyed and pale, handing the device back to May as though she’d been slapped.

‘Hey, Misty, what in Groudon’s name did you say to Dawn? You actually managed to silence her,’ May frowned, only to hear the orange haired woman laugh down the phone. 

‘I just reminded her that Leaf is a good friend of mine, but that that didn’t influence my desire to battle her. I’ve been meaning to take on the League for a while, and what better way to do it than just before Ash? Besides, it means I’ve officially achieved my own goal of being Water Pokémon Master. Could you hold that against me?’ Misty’s voice spoke, sounding lighter than May could believe.

‘But then you’d have to battle Ash. Doesn’t that scare you? You two have always had such a volatile relationship,’ the brunette frowned, hinting at the orange haired woman’s longstanding affections for the aspiring Pokémon Master.

‘Not really, we’ve battled before. It’ll just mean he has to think up his strategy some more because Pikachu won’t battle me. Sure, Lance would have been a challenge, but I’ve always been a far more strenuous rival for him. Think about it, we both know each other inside out, we’re best friends. I’d love to see his face when he sees me there,’ Misty chuckled eagerly. She did sound confident, and it made May feel all the more anxious for her friend. After all, Misty’s main supporters weren’t geographically close to her at this stage.

‘When? Aren’t you getting a little cocky?’ May teased her friend, noticing Solidad’s small smirk as she read another article on the internet. 

‘No, because I know I’ll make it. I have to; Ash needs me to do this for him, even if he doesn’t know about it,’ Misty smiled at her friend, her tone infuriatingly confident. 

‘And what if he doesn’t appreciate it?’ May questioned, unsure of Ash’s emotions on this particular event. 

‘You’re forgetting, I know him inside out. He’s pushed me on for as much as I have pushed him on. I’ve seen him die for others, ladies. Trust me, he needs me to do this,’ Misty said, clearly attempting to acquiesce her younger friend, though it wasn’t really working. 

‘Ok, I’ll support you, but only if you’re sure of what you’re doing,’ May frowned as she glanced at Dawn’s equally perplexed gaze. Neither of them could possibly comprehend why Misty was so adamant in this, but they knew they had to respect her wishes. After all, she was Ash’s oldest travelling partner, and also his most significant supporter after his mother and Professor Oak. When Misty said she had seen him die, May knew better than to question it. 

‘Of course I’m sure. Now, tell me what you’re up to,’ Misty frowned down the phone at May, her concern for her friend coming through. 

‘Well, I’m about to go practice my appeal some more, but other than that, nothing much. All I can do is battle Dawn, Solidad and Harley and hope for the best,’ May muttered into the device, hoping she sounded more confident than she felt. After all, it had been quite a while since she had last entered a contest. 

‘Speaking of battles, I’d better go and practice my battles against Tracey and Daisy. I promise I’ll send you a message if I win. Good luck with your great debut,’ Misty frowned into the device, and May could almost picture her winking at her Xtransceiver.

‘Take care,’ May whispered before hanging up. Feeling more confident than she had, she glanced at her trio of friends.

‘I’d better go practice my appeals some more,’ May smiled before walking out of the door, not noticing the hooded stranger who followed her, their teal coloured clothing standing out against the suburban scenery.


	17. Chapter 16

The battle was going on around them, but May was focused on the plight of her pokémon. Courtney had turned out to be a formidable opponent, her Ninetails and Weezing stronger than May had experienced in a while, and she enjoyed the challenge.

‘Weezing, smokescreen, Ninetails, you know what to do,’ Courtney smirked, infuriating May. She knew the purple haired Coordinator from somewhere, and she recognised her pokémon, but the brunette couldn’t remember where. 

Shaking her head, May reminded herself that she had to focus on the battle at hand. With a strangled cry, she called to her pokémon, ‘Glaceon, freeze that two faced pokémon and get it to shut up! Munchlax, solar beam that Ninetails!’

Upon noticing her distress, her pokémon hurried to execute her wishes, the execution of her desires turning out to be sloppier than usual. Glaceon’s ice beam was misshapen, though effective in shutting the poison gas pokémon, whilst Munchlax’s solar beam was shakier than normal. 

With a wince, May noticed that her opponent’s points hadn’t diminished as much as they could have. However, it gave her an opening, and she would take it. 

‘Great job, guys! I know you’re hurt, but we can still do this. Munchlax, use thunder punch on Ninetails, and Glaceon, you use secret power on Weezing!’ May called, hoping her voice was filled with more confidence than her previous cry to them. 

Exhausted, her pokémon made one final push, Munchlax’s thunder punch landing a critical hit on the fire type, causing it to land on the ground in a furry heap.

Upon Glaceon’s head encountering the poison gas pokémon’s larger head, it flinched, calling its name in pain as it was surrounded by small, electrical currents. 

‘All right, he’s paralysed! Now, Glaceon, use dig!’ May called to her pokémon, her attention focused on the battle before her. Her ice type dug a hole, hiding her body from view. 

‘Munchlax, you know what to do,’ May winked as her Glaceon hurtled out of the ground, attacking the Weezing so it lost its balance. 

With a growl, Munchlax hit the poison gas pokémon in a clear display of strength. Their opponent didn’t stand a chance before landing on the far wall, fainted. 

‘And there we have it, ladies and gentlemen, all of Courtney’s pokémon are unable to continue their fight! Going to the finals will be May!’ Adrian called, pointing her hands to a stunned brunette.

‘We did it! You guys are awesome!’ May grinned, running onto the field to hug her pokémon tightly. 

‘Pathetic. We’ll be having words about your performance today!’ Courtney glowered, recalling her pokémon before sending a dark glare at May. 

Blinking, May called to the woman, ‘it was a good match, your pokémon did well.’

‘Don’t lie. They lost, again,’ the woman spat back before storming out of the arena.

‘Well, after that heated battle, it looks like there’s some animosity left in the air. We’ll take a nice little refresher and be back shortly,’ Adrian smiled anxiously before May recalled her pokémon and hurried back stage. 

Rushing out of the arena, May hurried to the Pokémon Centre, where she gave Nurse Joy her pokémon. 

‘Would I be able to have them back for the final stage, Nurse Joy?’ May questioned as the nurse took her partners from her. 

‘Don’t worry, we’ll get onto it right away,’ the nurse smiled before rushing into the back room, a pink Skitty following her.

The brunette heard the sliding doors behind her open, however her eyes were trained on the pink haired nurse, whose hair was curled into two loops on either side of her head. 

‘May, you were awesome!’ Dawn’s voice called as May felt herself be pushed into the pink desk before her in a giant hug.

‘Thanks, Dawn,’ May grinned as she wrapped her arm around her friend’s small frame. 

‘Yes, though you’re up against some stiff competition,’ Harley glowered, his Banette hat hiding his dark green eyes. 

‘K-Master?’ May frowned slightly as Solidad grimaced at the man, apparently worried that he would incite more fear in May. 

‘Yes, he does seem quite strong, though he seems incredibly familiar too,’ Dawn frowned, poking a finger onto her lips slightly.

‘Isn’t it obvious who he is?’ A cold voice scoffed, causing the blood to rush from Dawn’s cheeks as her blue eyes widened in shock. 

‘Dawn?’ May whispered in fear as her friend squeaked. 

‘Oh yeah, who do you think it is then, if you’re such a know it all!’ Dawn hollered back, releasing May immediately and stomping a boot on the ground in anger. 

‘Tch, Dusk, it’s obvious, isn’t it?’ A purple haired man scoffed, crossing his arms and closing his eyes, though May noticed the faintest hint of a smile lifting the corner of his cheeks. 

‘What did you call me? My name is Dawn!’ Dawn screeched, causing May to flinch from her friend and cover her ears in shock. In all the years she’d known Dawn, she’d never seen anyone rile her up quite so successfully. It reminded her of her own reactions to Drew’s taunts. 

‘You heard me the first time. I didn’t think you were deaf as well as stupid,’ the man who could only be Paul glowered at Dawn, appearing to push all of the buttons that would set May and Dawn off. 

‘What did you say?’ Dawn howled, taking a step forward as May all but lurched to hold back her blue haired friend. 

‘Harley, help!’ May yelped as Harley gasped in feigned shock, though she suspected he enjoyed the drama. 

‘As I said before, you heard me,’ Paul smirked, staring down at Dawn’s blue eyes, a smug smirk filling his thin lips. 

‘Why you nasty, little spoilt brat! Say that again, I dare you!’ Dawn snarled as she tried to reach for the man. 

‘Hang on, hon, let the experts handle this,’ Harley winked at May before heading towards the arguing couple. 

When May opened her mouth to protest, Harley shushed her with a finger. In a smug voice, he continued, ‘we wouldn’t want to ruin your cute little outfit, would we? Not before Drew can get you out of it!’

‘Harley!’ Solidad gasped, her light blue eyes widening in shock. 

‘Oh, Solidad, excellent, you take her,’ Harley winked before shuffling Dawn’s irate body onto the flustered pink haired woman. 

With a cold laugh, Paul continued, ‘look at how you’re passed around, you really are puny.’

‘Paul, you say one more word and even Arceus himself won’t be able to save you!’ Dawn scowled as she struggled against the pink haired woman, whose wide eyes were focused on May, begging her to diffuse the situation. 

‘Now, hon, I can tell you fancy the little blue pipsqueak, no?’ Harley questioned, placing a languid arm on Paul’s shoulders. 

The man, in question stared at his extravagant companion with wide black eyes. 

‘Harley!’ Dawn cried, all of her anger deflating into mortification as her face flushed a bright red. 

‘That’s Harley,’ Solidad chuckled as May felt her close friend’s pain. She’d been in this scenario with Harley and Drew more times than she could count. 

‘What?’ Paul spat at the man, wrestling himself free as Harley chuckled. 

‘Oh, hon, your naiveté is simply adorable! Like an adolescent boy on heat!’ Harley chuckled as he poked Paul straight on the nose.

‘Harley I swear if you don’t stop I’ll make you!’ Dawn squealed, fighting a stunned Solidad’s grasp before tackling the man in the Banette costume to the ground.

In a poor attempt at shielding them from view, May anxiously said to Paul, ‘so, you must be Paul, it’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is May.’

‘Hi, tell your friends they can get off the floor. I’m going up to my room,’ Paul spat in anger, turning to move to the residential area of the Pokémon Centre. 

‘Hey Paul, before you go, why are you in Almia?’ Dawn called, forgetting all about her precarious seat on the Banette wearing man’s torso. 

‘I’m here to catch new pokémon. I heard the game here was good,’ Paul shrugged before continuing up his way. 

‘Wait! Won’t you come to the contest with us? May will be in it, and it’d be great if you could join us to support her,’ Dawn called, jumping off the extravagant man to watch Ash’s rival. 

May quietly admired how nonchalant Dawn could act, as though straddling Harley was a daily occurrence for her. However, Misty had often told May that both she and the bluenette bounced back faster than yoyos. 

Black eyes met blue before he sighed, ‘fine, but only because I know how pushy you can be.’

‘All right, thank you, Paul!’ Dawn grinned as May shared an uncertain glance with Solidad.

‘The more the merrier, I suppose,’ Solidad shrugged at the brunette.

‘May, your pokémon are fully healed,’ Nurse Joy called, pulling May’s attention away from her friends. 

‘Excellent, thank you so much!’ May grinned as she took her pokéballs from the awaiting nurse. 

‘Good luck with the rest of the contest,’ Nurse Joy smiled as the group of trainers lead May back outside. 

‘Thanks, Nurse Joy!’ May managed to call out before Harley had ushered her completely out of the building. With an irritated tut, he herded her the rest of the way to the contest hall, sending a brief wave to a familiar chartreuse haired man, hidden in the shadows.


	18. Chapter 17

‘Welcome back after that slight intermission, ladies and gentlemen. Now we’re heading into the final round, and there’s only one question on everyone’s lips: who will win this Contest Ribbon? Will it be K-Master, who wowed us with his psychedelic display of Breloom and Alakazam, or will it be May, whose pokémon have moved with sheer simplicity and beauty? Only time will tell as we enter the final round of the Vientown Contest!’ Adrian’s voice called, causing the crowd to cheer in eager anticipation. 

‘Now, to my left is an aspiring Coordinator who’s come back with quite a sparkle after a lengthy hiatus. Put your hands together for the one, the only, May!’ Adrian cried, flourishing a hand in May’s corner.

The woman in question bowed deeply for the crowd, Elgyem floating by her side. She felt her heart warm at the eager cries of the crowd, reminding her again of why she missed Contests—the challenge was one thing, the beauty another, but it was still a form of intricate entertainment for all.

‘And now, to my right is the mysterious Trainer with quite the flare for dramatics. He’s bold, he’s strong, his name’s certainly not long, it’s K-Master!’ Adrian continued, flourishing her other hand to K-Master, whose black hood covered his features perfectly.

‘And, Coordinators, please release your pokémon!’ Adrian cried as their features filled the screen above the stage. 

‘Skitty, Munchlax, take the stage!’ May cried as she spun on her left leg and threw her pokéballs in the air. 

‘Machoke, Floatzel, come on out!’ K-Master cried, releasing the superpower fighting type as well as the sea weasel pokémon. 

The humanoid Machoke flexed its well defined arms, its large pectoral muscles accentuated by the high-waisted golden belt, attached to its high black briefs. Beside it, the orange and cream Floatzel, glared, its arms crossed in a bid to seem threatening, hiding its blue fins from sight, somewhat covering its yellow floatation device which curled around the back of its neck. Behind it, its two tails twirled, the tips as cream coloured as its belly.

With a grimace, May muttered, ‘Machoke’s a fighting type, so he’ll have the advantage. Skitty, I want you to freeze him when you can. Munchlax, we’ll have to rely on your thunder punch get rid of that water type.’

Her pokémon both called out their names to her, reacting to her voice. 

‘Ladies first,’ K-Master called, his features still hidden from her. 

‘All right, in that case, Munchlax, thunder punch, Skitty, ice beam!’ May called, knowing her partners would target their designated opponents. 

‘Thought you’d do that, Machoke, use strength to get rid of that tiny normal type and Floatzel, razor wind to push that Munchlax away!’ K-Master chuckled as his pokémon moved to do his bidding. 

As instructed, Machoke grabbed a hold of Skitty’s neck and threw her with formidable strength against the wall. Floatzel, on the other hand, spun its tail until Munchlax was rooted to the spot. 

‘Skitty, are you ok? Munchlax, you keep going!’ May called to both of her pokémon, watching in horror as her small, pink pokémon who often popped out of her pokéball of her own accord struggled to her feet. 

‘Come on, Skitty, use assist!’ May cried, knowing it was a long shot. The move would take an attack from any of her pokémon’s current base, and there was no way for either of them to know what would come out. 

‘Nya!’ Skitty cried before creating a shiny blue orb of ice before her. With a cry, she unleashed it, sending it flying at the startled Machoke, which had been distracted by the significantly smaller pokémon. 

‘Machoke, deflect it with vital throw!’ May’s opponent cried, sounding flustered by the surprise.

Barely in time, the fighting type forced its arm at the ice attack, sending it spiralling to Munchlax.

‘Munchlax, hit it back with focus punch!’ May yelled, hoping this would work in her favour. She was losing points fast, and wouldn’t win the contest at this rate. 

‘Munch, laaax!’ Her pokémon cried before smashing Skitty’s original attack into smithereens, causing the stage to be covered in tiny icicles. 

‘Nice save,’ K-Master called with a disbelieving laugh.

‘I could say the same for you,’ May grinned back at him.

‘May! STOP FLIRTING WITH THE ENEMY! THIS IS A CONTEST BATTLE, NOT A FLIRT-A-THON!’ Harley’s enraged roar could be heard from the stands.

‘I wasn’t flirting!’ May squeaked in response as Elgyem’s lights flashed in anger. She needed to think fast, though. Harley was right, she had no time to waste, and the best way to win this was to do something spectacular. 

‘All right, Skitty use ice beam on the ground and then jump on Munchlax’s head,’ May cried as Munchlax glanced at her in disbelief. 

‘Don’t let them do anything, Floatzel, use aqua jet on that tiny pokémon, Machoke, you use strength again,’ K-Master scowled as her pokémon moved to follow suit.

‘Munchlax, counter that Machoke with your secret power!’ May cried as her big eater pokémon hurtled forward, landing against the fighting type with probably no damage.

‘Your pokémon didn’t do any damage to my Machoke,’ K-Master bragged, not noticing the trap May was setting up.

‘You’re right, but it’s too late for you to attack my Skitty,’ May grinned as Skitty jumped into the air to dodge the pokémon whose shield of water was covered in snow in an attempt at freezing nearly the whole stage. 

‘How can your pokémon move so fast after everything we did to it?’ Her opponent snarled as Munchlax jumped up to catch Skitty.

‘That’s easy, sheer determination. Now, while they’re struggling, Munchlax, use earthquake!’ May cried, ignoring the gasps from her friends. After all, the move was still very hit and miss, but she needed something big, and luck had to be on her side. 

Her pokémon were falling back to the ground head first as Munchlax’s feet began to glow. 

With a wince, May realised that this could cause her to lose more points. Letting out a strangled cry, she called, ‘you can do it, Munchlax, I know you can!’

Turning at the last moment, the big eater pokémon’s feet crashed into the smooth ice, causing it to shatter as the fighting and water partners struggled to find a place to stand. 

Unable to defend from the all-out attack which took place on the whole arena, K-Master watched in horror as May’s points overtook his own. 

‘Now, while they’re distracted, Munchlax, thunder punch, and Skitty, double slap!’ May called to her pokémon, hoping that they at least had some energy left. 

With a loud call, Skitty rushed towards the fighting type to slap its face, left cheek, right cheek, left, right and down, whilst Munchlax’s right fist glowed yellow, surrounded by electric currents, colliding with a startled Floatzel.

Loud beeps filled the air and May’s breath hitched. Afraid, she almost couldn’t make herself look, except Elgyem lifted her head up to the screen, its green lights flashing in joy.

‘We-we did it, we won!’ May whispered, noticing that she’d won by a hair’s breadth against her opponent. 

‘Munchlax, Skitty, you were both awesome!’ May whispered, crouching down as her pokémon jumped into her arms.

‘Congratulations,’ a soft voice grinned, pulling her attention upward.

‘Thank you,’ May beamed back, standing up to shake her opponent’s hand.

‘Tell Dawn I said hi,’ K-Master whispered before turning to leave the stage. 

‘Hey!’ May cried, her sapphire eyes widening in confusion, though the cloaked figure didn’t turn around. Frowning after him, May barely registered as Adrian’s voice called, ‘And now, we’ll take a moment for the ribbon to be awarded to May!’

With a small smile, May and her pokémon headed onto a previously unnoticed small podium near the judge’s desks. 

‘Congratulations, May, I hope that you have the best of luck with your future contests,’ Mr Contesta beamed at her as he handed her a small, grey ribbon with sparkles in its centre. 

‘All right, we got the Vientown Ribbon!’ May cried, holding it out before her and posing, her pokémon crying out near her. 

‘Congratulations, May,’ Lisia’s warm voice grinned at the young brunette.

‘Thank you, Lisia, how do you think I went?’ May whispered, turning to her friend with the turquoise coloured hair. 

‘Well, I think you went ab-sol-u-tely amazingly! Honestly, not even my big brother could keep up with you, May!’ Lisia beamed, pulling the unsuspecting brunette in a tight hug.

‘Oh? You and your uncle never named your brother, even Wally hasn’t mentioned a name,’ May muttered, not daring to ask for details on the topic, lest it be taboo. 

‘Oh, you definitely know him, though he’s told me many a time to keep my mouth shut in front of you,’ Lisia winked slightly before Adrian glanced at the two.

‘Lisia, sweety, I don’t think your uncle would be too pleased to see you fraternizing with the contest winner so,’ Adrian whispered in a feverish manner, sending May a pleading glance.

‘What is May, the enemy? Please, don’t make me laugh!’ Lisia giggled endearingly at the frazzled orange haired woman. Turning more serious, she continued, ‘besides, May’s close friends with my uncle and cousin, aren’t you?’

‘Wallace and Wally? Yes, they’re both some of my closest friends from Hoenn,’ May smiled nervously, not enjoying the questions which would definitely come. The secrets she’d shared with Steven always scared her, after all, only their closest friends and family had known of their relationship. And even then, they didn’t know of her and Steven’s arrangement, though she didn’t like to think about it.

‘Wait a second, how do you know Lisia’s brother and uncle? And does this Wally person enter contests?’ Adrian frowned, crossing her arms and appearing to have forgotten her own warnings.

‘Well I first met Wallace at the Wallace Cup, as I’m sure most people saw me attend it years ago on television. As for Wally and Lisia, I met them whilst I was on hiatus, employed by the League to take care of Petalburg Gym,’ May responded awkwardly, hoping her relations with Steven weren’t brought into light. 

‘Isn’t Wallace a bit young to be your uncle?’ Harley scoffed, entering the discussion with an exaggerated saunter. 

‘Oh, that’s easy, my grandmother had my mother young, but left quite a few years between the her and my uncle, and the same happened with my mother and us. Unfortunately my brother broke the tradition of the women coming first in our family,’ Lisia winked, posing her hands before her in a ‘V’ shape. 

‘So, who’s her brother?’ Adrian frowned at May, who shrugged, equally perplexed. She was as clueless as the MC in this.

‘Lisia, do you think your brother would want you to be gossiping about such things so easily?’ Solidad’s voice called to the trio, sounding bemused.

‘Yeah, hon, from what you’ve said, it sounds like he’s not too happy with everyone knowing who he is,’ Harley frowned as he stood beside the pink haired woman, hands on hips. 

‘Guys, can you believe I won!’ May called, grinning childishly up at them, hoping to diminish the awkward lecture which would probably ensue.

‘Yes, you were great, May, congratulations,’ the pink haired woman smiled, eying the rose in May’s veil subtly as Harley muttered bitterly, ‘no need to brag about it, especially after all that flirting, too!’

‘May! You were awesome!’ The dark blue haired coordinator who was missing from their little group called, tackling the brunette into a tight hug.

‘Thanks Dawn, can’t breathe,’ May whispered as her face flushed at the tight grip.

‘Oops, sorry, Zoey always tells me off for how tight my hugs are,’ Dawn giggled, releasing her friend immediately.

‘That’s ok, thanks for letting me go,’ May whispered as she breathed in and out slightly.

‘How did you think I went?’ May questioned her friends, who seemed pleased by her chipper behaviour.

‘You did well, there’s no need to worry about a thing!’ Dawn winked as she slung an arm around her friend’s shoulder.

‘Bluenette twerpette is right, though your executions were a bit sloppy,’ Harley muttered, winking one of his green eyes at her.

‘They were?’ May squeaked, turning her wide eyed gaze to Solidad.

‘Nothing that can’t be fixed with practice,’ the older woman assured her, subtly stepping on the purple haired man’s shoes.

‘Oh, before I forget, K-Master told me to tell you he said hi, Dawn,’ May whispered to her close friend, who glowered at the news.

‘Did he, now? Well he’s got another thing coming if he thinks I’ll forgive that brief little message! Who does he think he is, to just disappear and ignore me?’ Dawn snarled, her face flushing in anger.

Wondering what was irritating her friend so, May sent a furtive glance to Solidad who responded by mouthing, ‘Paul.’

Knowing that nothing else needed to be said on the matter, May was almost certain that Paul had done something to offend her friend before disappearing into thin air. The man could never be found in any place for long, something she’d learnt from her friend’s many rants. 

‘So, shall we go out to the next town?’ Harley questioned, smiling softly down at May.

‘Can we go somewhere first?’ May asked back, biting her bottom lip hopefully.

‘Where would that be?’ Dawn frowned at her sister.

‘Well, my brother and his Ralts were reunited on Nabiki Beach, and it’s said to bring together people and pokémon who will share an incredibly strong bond,’ May whispered, bouncing on the balls of her feet anxiously.

‘If it’s what our fair haired brunette wishes, then so be it! But first, I demand an extra night of beauty sleep as celebration of my little gingerbread cookie’s success!’ Harley cried, extravagantly taking Solidad’s hand in his own and walking out of the door. 

‘I suppose we’d better follow them. Thank you so much, Adrian!’ May grinned at the surprised MC before rushing after her friends, the psychic type following her along the way.


	19. Chapter 18

Reaching the Pokémon Centre, May let out a slight huff as her pokémon lagged behind her. Leaning on the rendered white walls, May huffed, ‘come on, guys, any slower and I’d have to wonder just how lazy your Trainer is!’

‘Blaziken,’ the fire type glowered, poking May’s belly slightly as she breathily giggled in response, knowing how touchy her partners were about any who were allowed to remain behind.

‘Point taken, I’m sure Venusaur is working everybody back home just as hard,’ May grinned as Skitty fell on her chin at May’s feet, followed closely by Glaceon, who nuzzled her pink friend softly. Munchlax, surprisingly, was the only one who seemed as fit as a fiddle, and May was pretty certain she knew why. 

‘All right, breakfast time for you all, and then I’m showering and eating food myself,’ May grinned before rushing them all into the room she shared with a still snoozing Dawn. 

After having showered and dressed, May walked out of the bathroom to see Dawn seated on her bed, smiling at her PokéNav, undoubtedly reading a message from one of their friends. Noticing Dawn’s slightly flushed face, May knew it had to be a man, and not just any man.

‘Who’s that you’re grinning at?’ May questioned, running a brush through her soaked hair.

‘I’d love to say that it’s Kenny, but it’s not. Paul just texted me to say he’s heading to a certain beach,’ Dawn giggled, winking at May eagerly.

Hearing this, May suddenly realised why her friend was smiling with a flushed face. For the stoic faced Paul to inform her of this, May knew that Dawn’s endorphins would be working overtime for weeks. 

Sending Dawn a glance that May knew was horribly unflattering, however, the brunette knew that her close friend would recognise and respond to the gesture. After all, Paul was clearly hinting something here, and if May were in her shoes, she wouldn’t let up. 

As predicted, Dawn flushed darkly, squeaking as she grabbed one of the numerous pillows on her bed. Without bothering to aim, the bluenette threw a pillow at the brunette, who let out a loud laugh, enjoying finally having the upper hand on her blue haired friend.

‘Just you wait until Misty hears about this!’ May giggled as images of the red haired woman’s reaction filled her mind. After all, Misty had been teasing Dawn for almost as long as May had, and both had bets going about when Paul would finally crack. It was next to impossible to deny Dawn’s well practiced charms, especially when she clearly favoured the purple haired man to any others. 

‘Don’t you dare!’ Dawn scowled, jumping off of her pink covers as the brunette dropped her brush onto her own bed.

‘Blaziken, help!’ May called for her starter as she rushed to her bag, knowing he wouldn’t hesitate to restrain the furious bluenette.

‘No you don’t! Piplup, get in here and stop that fire breather!’ Dawn called back as May reached for her Xtransceiver, dialling Misty’s code and praying to Arceus that her friend answered quickly. Considering the woman could be in a Gym battle, or worse, swimming in the pool, the odds weren’t in her favour, but she had to try. 

‘Hello stranger, I’ve been waiting on your call. How did your contest go?’ Misty’s grinning voice filled the room, on speaker phone as May continued to run out of Dawn’s grasp.

‘Misty, thank Arceus you answered!’ May crowed as Dawn groaned, ‘nooo, Misty why do you answer May so quickly? You never answer my calls that fast! The one time I don’t want you to answer and you let me down, girl!’

‘Why do I feel like I am coming into a conversation without having any idea of what’s happening?’ Misty’s voice frowned as May danced around the room, serenading the small water type and her fully evolved fire type, who were both looking completely unamused.

‘Oh, screw my pride, get Misty on video phone!’ Dawn called, throwing yet another pillow at the brunette in a poor attempt at halting her ridiculous dance.

‘All right, all right, be patient,’ May giggled as she pressed a button on her device, revealing a hologram of the cheerful red head.

‘Ok, May’s got wet hair and probably just came out of the shower and Dawn’s got bed head, has the world gone crazy?’ Misty teased with a wink as Dawn squawked indignantly.

‘Hey, I came from my morning jog whilst someone was muttering about her beauty sleep for a certain purple haired Trainer,’ May crowed, quickly dodging one of the pillows from her bed.

‘Wait, what about Kenny?’ Misty frowned, her cerulean eyes filled with a confusion that May would have felt too if she hadn’t heard about Paul’s message and seen him in Almia, probably chasing after Dawn.

‘Kenny hasn’t spoken to me in just over a month, and besides, you know he pushed me into this relationship against my wishes,’ Dawn muttered bitterly, hugging her Piplup a little too tightly after he had unwisely shuffled into her lap. 

‘Oh, Dawn. You know if there was anything I could do, I would, but I’m hopeless with romantic situations. I’m nothing at all like my sisters,’ Misty whispered, her eyes widening in shock.

‘Or that could just be the nature of the object of your affections,’ Dawn drawled, sending the fiery woman a flat stare.

‘Don’t worry, Paul will be here to save the day,’ May grinned, ignoring Dawn’s evil eye as she successfully diffused Misty’s oncoming anger. 

‘What makes you say that?’ Misty frowned, completely forgetting Dawn’s slight as Dawn hissed at their other friend, not appreciating being thrown into a wild pokémon horde. 

‘What? If my love life is going to be as dead as it is, and Misty’s is going to pretty desolate too, we’ve kind of have to live vicariously through you, you know! Make it decent so the three of us can feel somewhat accomplished,’ May lectured the bluenette who rolled her eyes at the argument. 

‘May, shut up so Dawn can give us her version of events!’ Misty hollered, silencing the brunette, who chuckled sheepishly, lest Misty’s wrath be triggered. Only Ash could survive those tirades unscathed, and May knew that from personal experience. 

‘Well, there’s nothing really to say,’ Dawn chuckled before seeing Misty’s flat glare. With a heavy sigh, she muttered, ‘ok, so May wanted to go to Nabiki Beach, and that coincidentally happens to be were Paul is heading to right now.’

‘Please, he texted you about going there, he so wants you to meet him there and be his eternal loverrrr,’ May giggled, dancing around the room as her Blaziken sighed in embarrassment. 

‘May, embarrassing,’ Dawn groaned, hiding her head in her hands.

‘Yeah, she needs some R&R with a certain Oddish brain, but we know that’s not going to happen. Not unless Wally tries to take his place, and we all know how she’ll react to that,’ Misty smiled, waiting for May to register her words.

‘Misty!’ May roared, falling right into the trap, and over her own feet in surprise.

‘Easier than anything Team Rocket ever did,’ Misty winked at Dawn, who chuckled in response, ‘that’s not hard. Those three were pretty embarrassing.’

‘So wait, didn’t you tell me about a plan where you’d try to make Ash jealous? I can’t even remember how long ago that was, though. Didn’t it work?’ Dawn frowned, poking her bottom lip thoughtfully. 

‘Oh, yeah, that was with Gary. If either of you know Gary, you’d know that that didn’t last very long. He can’t be loyal, that one, not for anyone, even a fake girlfriend like myself,’ Misty sighed, her face flushing at the memory.

‘Wait, is this the same Gary that Ash grew up with?’ May questioned, her expression filled with bitter resentment.

‘Yes, which is why I agreed to go along with his stupid idea. If anyone knows Ash as well as I do, it’s Gary, but clearly even we overestimated Ash’s maturity. We should have known that Ash’s emotional development hasn’t happened yet,’ Misty groaned, hiding her face in her hands as one or another rather embarrassing memory filled her mind.

‘Wait, you mean the son of the poet?’ Dawn squeaked, her hands clasped together as her face lit up into a huge smile.

‘If by that you mean Professor Oak, then that would be him,’ Misty offered a hesitant response, sharing an uncertain glance with May.

‘Oh, he’s so awesome!’ Dawn squealed as May and Misty’s jaws dropped.

‘He’s what?’ The duo shrieked in surprise, staring at the woman as if she’d grown a second head.

‘What? Was it something I said?’ Dawn murmured as May’s scowl deepened uncharacteristically.

‘He’s a despicable, deplorable, disgusting excuse of a man! I cannot believe you both willingly associate with him! Am I the only person who hasn’t been impressed by his pathetic arrogance?’ May scowled, surprising her friends by her anger. 

‘Wait, what just happened? Did May just become Misty, or worse, Jessie?’ Dawn frowned, scratching her head slightly in confusion as May continued to rant about her hatred for Gary.

‘I take it you’ve met him and it went about as well as my first meeting with him,’ Misty mused, crossing her arms smugly as she pointedly ignored Dawn’s dig.

‘If you hated him then as much as I do now, what made you change your mind?’ May glowered, having calmed down somewhat.

‘He matured, slightly,’ Misty chuckled, sending the woman a knowing smile. 

‘He was worse before?!’ May gasped, not daring to believe her ears as Misty’s amusement increased visibly.

‘Oh yeah, he was unbelievable. Had a group of fan girls that followed him around and cheered for him in a cheerleader costume—much like Dawn’s when she was with Ash. I was constantly having to defend Ash from him because Ash was too thick to think up a response, whilst Brock just didn’t even think of getting involved,’ Misty chuckled, pulling a Psyduck into view, wearing inflatable pink floaties, as she adjusted her Xtransceiver’s position to reveal a large, rectangular swimming pool. 

‘I cannot believe this. There were a bunch of girls that actually liked him? Am I the only sane person left in the world?’ May whispered, feeling the blood drain from her face.

‘Why don’t you like him, May? Has he done something to you?’ Dawn frowned in confusion as she watched the older woman with clear apprehension. 

‘Don’t go there, Dawn!’ May cried as Misty chuckled.

‘I think Gary’s got his eye on her,’ Misty teased, sending a subtle wink to Dawn, who pouted, ‘really? I should be so lucky!’

‘You would consider yourself lucky! I hate him!’ May cried before promptly bursting into tears. 

‘Whoa, May, are you ok?’ Dawn whispered, pulling her friend into a tight hug as Misty frowned at the sight. 

‘What’s he done? If he’s so much as touched a hair on your head, not even Ho-Oh or Lugia or any other legendary pokémon can stop me from avenging you, May!’ Misty glowered, her tone becoming increasingly more menacing. 

‘It’s not that,’ May whispered, not wanting Gary to feel Misty’s wrath for her sake. 

‘Then what is it?’ Dawn frowned as she pulled away from the brunette slightly.

‘He just reminds me so much of Drew, it hurts,’ May whispered so softly that her Xtransceiver nearly didn’t pick it up. 

‘But Drew was at the contest, surely you saw his performance?’ Dawn frowned, touching her friend’s shoulder gently.

‘No, I slept through the whole thing,’ May wailed as guilt ate at her. She didn’t notice Blaziken roll his eyes before going through her bag. 

‘Well it was beautiful, May, the whole thing. He had his Roserade cover the stage with petal dance before using magical leaf too. Then his Masquerain used silver wind and it just created the most dazzling display of a rose! Oh, it was so beautiful!’ Dawn recounted, her big, blue eyes sparkling at the memory.

‘He created a rose?’ May whispered, snivelling on the ground.

‘Yes, and he said it was for someone special too, and that he needed to apologise to her for something. You should really have been there to see it, May. All of the girls in the crowd were in tears,’ Dawn giggled, not noticing Misty’s vehement head shake, an unnoticed silent plea for caution. 

‘He had someone he dedicated it to?’ May sniffed, her eyes brimming with tears again. 

‘May, hon, are you ok?’ Harley’s voice called through the closed door, sounding worried. 

‘Misty, we’d better go, or else he’ll kill you and me,’ Dawn grimaced as she took the device from the ground.

‘That’s ok, call me,’ Misty responded as May hurriedly scrubbed at her eyes. 

Disconnecting the call, Dawn turned her attention to the door, ‘Harley, I’ll get her out in a minute, we’ve just got a bit of a girl’s dilemma going on in here, no need to worry!’

‘There better not be,’ Harley growled, his steps heard from the other side of the door.

‘Come on, May, I’ll teach you some beauty tips that I’ve learnt as a Stylist. Please cheer up, I’m sure he doesn’t really have anyone he’s interested in. Trust me,’ Dawn whispered, pulling her friend in a tight hug.

Hiccuping slightly, the brunette nodded with forced cheer, ‘of course I trust you, don’t be silly.’

‘Good, now let’s make you look as happy as you feel,’ Dawn beamed, dragging her friend into the bathroom.


	20. Chapter 19

Pacing the floor anxiously, the man known as Drew, Top Coordinator, and brother of Lisia, cousin of Wally and nephew to Wallace, walked in deep thought. Glancing around the almost deserted entryway, he seemed somewhat disappointed before turning his attention to a two seater leather couch. 

With an impatient sigh, he took a seat on the couch before pulling a small notebook out of his teal jacket’s pocket. He didn’t spare a moment for the white walls, nor the pristine marble floor as he began flicking through the many faces of people in the book. 

Adjusting his seat on the couch, he pulled his gaze from his notebook, appearing disinterested in its contents. Irritably, his gaze flicking to a clock on the nearby wall, grimacing as he registered the time. 

‘She’s late,’ the man frowned to himself, his green eyes flickering to the large glass doors before the reception. He was currently awaiting the arrival of his good friend and mentor in the foyer of his hotel, and was becoming increasingly worried.

To his relief, the door opened to reveal the pink haired woman, who sent him an apologetic smile. 

‘I’m so sorry, I was a little delayed by Harley,’ Solidad called, briskly walking to him as he stood up, pocketing his book professionally.

‘That’s fine, these things happen,’ Drew responded as they briefly kissed each other on the cheek. Solidad was one of the only women in his life who could relax him enough for him to let his guard down with her. 

‘Shall we go to a restaurant for lunch?’ The woman with light blue eyes smiled, gesturing to the world outside.

‘Won’t she be there?’ Drew grimaced, hesitating slightly. He’d gone to such extreme measures for her to not see him, he didn’t want to blow it now, not with everything at stake. He couldn’t help it, with her having disappeared for so long. After all the time that had passed, he needed to ensure that everything went smoothly, especially after his tirade of their first meeting. 

‘Nonsense, Harley knows where we’ll be and will cooperate with us,’ Solidad grinned, noticing her companion’s anxiety.

‘I still don’t trust him, but if you insist,’ Drew muttered, shaking his head slightly.

‘Trust me, even if Harley wasn’t so heavily invested with his own emotions in your relationship, I can assure you that I won’t let him survive if our plans are ruined,’ Solidad winked, taking Drew’s arm in hers and not so subtly pulling him out of the room. 

‘If you insist, but I’ll have you note that you always make me socialise in public, Solidad, and against my wishes, too,’ the chartreuse haired man couldn’t help but groan as his mentor chuckled. 

‘Stop complaining, a bit of oxygen never hurt you. Besides, we both know why you’re really here, even if you’re feigning being engrossed in some project for work,’ Solidad chided as she pulled Drew towards a nearby café.

‘And what would that be? Please, enlighten me,’ Drew questioned, arching a cool eyebrow at the woman as he struggled to suppress the subtle flush which filled his cheeks. 

In response, Solidad gave him a flat look, not in the least convinced by his blatant attempt at being nonchalant. She’d known him since he was a young child, he should have known better than to try and fool her. Especially when the news of the Contests needing a liaison between couples after the third ribbon. 

Deciding to throw out any attempt at subtlety and innocence, he frowned, ‘how is she?’

‘She’s just heard that your appeal was dedicated to some unknown woman. I’m not too sure how to answer your question. Then there’s also some secret that her and Dawn have been hiding, one which involves someone making May cry. It was why I was late—Harley was chewing my ear off about it. I’m not too sure how many people in Almia could possibly make such a lovely and strong young woman cry, and I must admit that there aren’t even many people here who know her. So why don’t you tell me how you think she is?’ Solidad growled, an uncharacteristic scowl filling her usually neutral expression. 

‘But she slept through the appeal, how could she have heard? I even spoke to her about it!’ Drew frowned, finding himself unable to meet Solidad’s gaze. He’d felt terrible after reducing May to such tears, but having something nearly behead her brought back all of his fears for her safety. With it came all of the confusion and frustration about her silence, and it just went south from there. He’d planned for the appeal to be for her as an apology for their disastrous reunion, though he hadn’t been certain she would have known it was directed to her. After venting to his Pokémon, he knew he had to let his emotions out somehow. However, if she hadn’t seen it, Drew wasn’t sure how she’d found out. More importantly, he hadn’t been there to gage her reaction, and that meant he wasn’t too sure how to react to her the next time they encountered each other.

‘Dawn told her. Did you think we’d all be in on this? She’s got friends outside of the three of us, and she’s hurting, Drew. You left her for years without even trying to contact her. You know how she is, she has absolutely no self-confidence and she needed support more than ever, I told you as much even if I didn’t tell you the reasons why. Then you had a go at me when she tried to move on because you weren’t in the picture anymore. Don’t mess with her head anymore unless you’re certain you’ll stay,’ Solidad lectured as a black haired waitress came to their table, her purple eyes widening at Solidad’s flushed, angered face. 

‘Hi, may I take your order please?’ The woman questioned in a slightly anxious tone.

‘I’ll have the sausage and egg breakfast with a vanilla Vientown coffee please,’ Drew smiled, trying to appear unaffected by Solidad’s scolding.

‘I’ll have the pinap pancake and a flat white please,’ Solidad requested politely before turning her dark glower back onto her companion. 

‘Ok, you’re right, as always. I was the one who made her cry, and I know I messed up, big time. I’ll be lucky if she forgives me, and I want to make my apology mean something. First something nearly takes her head off, then I forgot everything I planned to say to her. It’s just, hearing about how she was with another guy, one as powerful as Steven Stone, it just gets to me. Come on, the guy’s the Champion of Hoenn, how am I meant to compete with that?’ Drew muttered, unable to meet the pink haired woman’s gaze.

‘Drew, I cannot believe the words that are coming out of your mouth. She chose you, from the word go. Anyone who knows either of you would know of your clear affection for each other. Lugia, Drew, her ex is best friends with your uncle. If you’d just been there for her when she needed you, things might have turned out different. You’ve gotten yourself into a mess I am not going to help you out of,’ Solidad sighed, her gaze softening upon noticing Drew’s guilty expression. 

‘Don’t you think I know that? I heard from Wallace himself where May was, though he wouldn’t tell me why. I was trying to sum up the courage to talk to her, then I hear from him that Steven Stone, the Champion and his best friend, might be interested in her too. The next thing I hear from him, he tells me she’s with Steven. That really hurt. Before you continue with your false excuses, if she chose me, then why didn’t she trust me? Solidad, I’ve waited for her this whole time and she Swannas off with Steven Stone, the heir to the Devon Corporation and Champion of Hoenn! Next to him, I look like a kid,’ Drew muttered, placing his head on the cool steel table, enjoying the refreshing feel on his warm face. This was one of the things he hated about Solidad—she made him explore his feelings, his memories. Whether that be relating to Contests, his family or May, whenever he spoke to Solidad, he found himself learning so much more about himself and others. 

‘If I were you, I wouldn’t get too focused on her one attempt at moving on. From all accounts, including Dawn’s, she’s finally coming to terms with her affections for you. Besides, you’re acting as though Steven ever stood a chance. I’m sure you’ve heard Harley’s suspicions, and I’ll tell you now, they’re as true for her as they are for you,’ Solidad assured the younger Coordinator, whose expression was much paler than usual. 

‘But has she actually said as much? I mean, I’m planning on putting my neck on the line here, in public. I’d do it anyway, but I need to know if there’s a chance,’ Drew muttered, raising his green eyes to meet the older woman’s, who was shocked by the misery they portrayed. 

‘Relax, I’m certain. And, before you bruise your ego further, from what I’ve heard, Steven might not be the real Champion,’ Solidad chuckled, making Drew raise his head hopefully.

‘You mean he’s really not that great?’ Drew whispered as the waitress returned with their food. 

‘Yes, Drew, he’s human, like you and me,’ Solidad chuckled as the green haired man sent her one of his rare grins before digging into his food. 

Shaking her head slightly in amusement, Solidad tucked in at a much milder pace.


	21. Chapter 20

‘Come on, let’s go!’ May beamed at Dawn and Harley, flashing her pearly whites at the duo as they left the Pokémon Centre for Nabiki Beach. After all, the man in the Banette costume had encouraged his younger counterparts to clean up, and May felt prettier than ever with Dawn’s slight makeup tricks.

 

‘What about Solidad?’ Dawn frowned, appearing troubled, glancing back to the Pokémon Centre they were leaving.

 

‘Don’t worry, I’m sure she’ll find us soon,’ Harley beamed a little too energetically as he herded May to a side strip on which a giant hotel stood.

 

‘Wow, I don’t think I could ever afford to rent a room in there,’ May muttered, staring up at the imposing sandstone building.

 

‘Me neither, but only people who’re compensating for a certain something spend time there,’ Harley scowled as his gaze was focused on a nearby café, in which sat a pink haired woman and a green haired man, the latter staring at the brunette with horrified disbelief.

 

Catching sight of what the purple haired man was suddenly grinning at, Dawn frowned, ‘say isn’t that—‘

 

‘—Just the cutest coat you’ve ever seen on a girl, hon?’ Harley beamed, suavely hitting Dawn’s hips so she lost balance as he nudged May to a slightly flustered auburn haired woman, who was wearing a bright pink coat with large buttons, a Furfrou walking beside her.

 

‘Hmm, I’m more impressed by her pokémon,’ May frowned as she eyed the white poodle pokémon, discreetly scanning her Pokédex.

 

‘Furfrou, the poodle pokémon. Historically, in the Kalos region, these pokémon were the designated guardians of the king.’ Her electronic device stated, surprising her.

 

‘Guardians of the king?’ May frowned as Dawn squealed, ‘oh those are the pokémon you can style in so many different fashions, dying their fur and cutting it to create unique looks!’

 

‘Hmm, it’s a normal type pokémon,’ May frowned as she considered the pokémon as it walked beside its oblivious trainer.

 

Shrugging, Harley dragged May along, saying, ‘but hon, we’ve only just begun. I’m sure you can research that weird Kalosian poodle later!’

 

‘H-Harley!’ May squeaked as she walked into the back of the man, who’d stopped suddenly before her.

 

‘Ok, pipsqueak, are you going to catch this pokémon or dance in circles with it? It’s been following us for days! By Groudon, even the people in the contest thought you were just emulating your black haired boy toy by letting it loose!’ Harley shrieked, stomping his foot in anger as May felt the blood drain from her face.

 

Blinking, the brunette glanced past the man to see the light blue Elgyem frowning at them, his coloured hands flashing in confusion.

 

‘Hmmm, really? They thought Elgyem was with me? What do you say, Elgyem, do you want to come along and train for contests with me?’ May whispered as she stared into the pokémon’s large green eyes.

 

Flashing her a green light, the extra-terrestrial pokémon launched forward, tackling May in a surprise hug.

 

Letting out a light laugh, May pulled a pokéball from her bag, whispering, ‘well, I suppose we should welcome you to the team, Elgyem, thank you!’

 

The pokémon responded by tapping the white nozzle on the pokéball, allowing it to be encapsulated in a red light.

 

‘Well, I suppose that’s one way of catching pokémon, hon,’ Harley frowned, his green gaze inspecting the pokéball, causing the brunette to flush slightly.

 

‘Why, what’s wrong with it?’ Dawn frowned, focusing her blue gaze on the pokéball in May’s hands too.

 

Glancing around, May grimaced, praying to Kyogre that something would come to distract her companions.

 

‘It’s not particularly conventional, is it?’ Harley scoffed irritably as May saw Drew exiting the nearby café.

 

‘Drew!’ May called, rushing away from her companions, knowing just how irritably Dawn would react to her other friend’s remark.

 

‘May?’ Drew frowned, hurriedly placing his hands in his pockets as a shadow inside rushed deeper into the café, though May pretended not to notice.

 

‘How’re you?’ May smiled anxiously, hoping that Harley would notice Drew’s presence.

 

‘Well, considering a few things. What about you?’ Drew frowned, his emerald eyes searching May’s sapphire ones.

 

Recalling Dawn’s reference to another woman, May felt herself flush slightly, ‘well, I suppose I’ve been better. Harley and Dawn are fighting again and I’m not too sure how to put an end to it this time.’

 

The chartreuse haired man didn’t comment, simply leaning on a wall as he let his emerald eyes gaze on her face.

 

‘Drew, are w-we friends?’ May whispered, poking her fingers together anxiously as she found herself unable to meet his gaze.

 

‘Hmmm? Why wouldn’t we be?’ Drew frowned, distractedly glancing into the café he’d left.

 

Noticing this gesture, May felt her hopes dash. She couldn’t help but think that he’d been visiting his crush. Seeing him talk to her might ruin his chances at happiness with another, and that gutted her.

 

Smiling anxiously, she responded, ‘Oh, no reason. Just wondering, you know, with all the time that’s passed.’

 

Without so much as sparing the man another glance, she turned on her heel and rushed away from him, power walking past her two arguing friends as she groped for her Xtransceiver.

 

Fumbling with a number she’d memorised long ago, May waited for the number to ring.

 

‘May?’ A troubled voice answered, sounding more anxious than she’d heard in quite a while.

 

‘Brendan,’ she whispered, her voice shaking as she suppressed her tears. She’d been a fool to think that she’d ever have a chance with Drew.

 

‘What’s happened? Do you need me to come over? I’m in the middle of a conference, but I’m sure my uncle will cover for me,’ her black haired friend spoke, surprising her with his anxiety for her.

 

‘No, I’ve got Dawn and H-Harley,’ May sobbed, cursing her inability to lie to her childhood friend.

 

‘Right, and they’re _obviously_ looking after your needs right now. It’s exactly why you haven’t called me and are currently talking about your worries to them, right?’ the man frowned, his voice laced with sarcasm.

 

‘Ok, they’re fighting about various ways to capture pokémon, but that’s ok. I don’t really want them to see me like this,’ May whispered into the phone as she hurried into the nearby forest, hiding from her friends as tears began to slide down her face.

 

‘May, I’m coming to see you,’ Brendan scowled down the device, reminding the brunette of exactly why he was the one she’d turned to, and not her other friends. Whilst Ash would have dropped everything for her too, she wanted him to focus on his impeding battle, like Misty was. Then there was Brock, who’d simply listen and focus on his job as a pokémon doctor, as Serena would be with her PokéVideos. Last, there was Iris, who definitely wouldn’t hesitate to travel to Almia to teach Drew a lesson. Sure, there were Steven and Wallace, but they were always busy, as were Orlando and Wally, trying to complete a pokédex.

 

‘No, it’s ok, I’m being stupid. Besides, you’re too far away,’ she tried to argue with forced optimism, but it sounded flat, even to her ears.

 

‘Gary, tell my uncle I’ve had to go. A mate of mine needs help,’ Brendan glowered to an unseen person.

 

‘Someone needs help? I’m coming,’ a familiar voice responded in the background, making May’s heart stop momentarily in her chest.

 

‘Brendan, do not bring _him_!’ May squeaked, her grief forgotten by her intense dislike for the man.

 

‘Gary, just go and tell my uncle, please,’ Brendan glowered forcefully, and May could only picture his inner anger at her demand.

 

‘Are you kidding me? Your friend needs help and this lecture is beyond boring. Gramps will understand, and I’m sure your uncle will too. I’ll just send them a text from the Xtransceiver,’ Gary’s voice scoffed before the sound of a pokémon being released from their pokéball could be heard down the Xtransceiver.

 

‘Brendan!’ May hissed down the device, picturing thousands of ways to murder the man.

 

‘Sorry, ‘hon’, the man’s mind has been made up. We’ll see you soon,’ Brendan’s slightly amused voice filled her ear before she heard the dial tone of death.

 

With a growl, May moved to throw her device, but thought better of it. Just what she needed, her pain for Drew reiterated by the smug rival of Ash. Why did they need to be so alike?

 

Just as she was about to put the device away, she noticed a call from Dawn.

 

Slumping her shoulders, she answered the device, ‘hey Dawn.’

 

‘Where do you think you are? Do you have any idea how worried we are? Get your butt back out here before I get Mamoswine to find you and freeze it off!’ Dawn screeched into the device, evidently still furious at Harley’s arguments.

 

‘I’ll be there shortly, I just wanted some time alone,’ May muttered before hanging up on her friend, whose mood would indefinitely decrease at this news.

 

Quickly scrubbing her eyes, May released her Skitty and whispered, ‘I think I’ll need some back up for this.’

 

Her pokémon glanced at her before chasing its tail in an adorable manner as her Trainer took a moment to visibly recollect herself.

 

With a light smile, May leant down to pick the pokémon up before heading to her friends.

 

Seeing her bluenette friend, May called, ‘Dawn, I’m over here. Sorry if I worried you!’

 

‘As long as you’re ok!’ Dawn grinned back, as Harley, Solidad and Drew regrouped behind her.

 

Seeing the troubled gaze of her chartreuse haired crush, May’s breath hitched in her throat. Reminding her that Brendan was on his way to see her, May feigned a smile.

 

‘So?’ Dawn frowned, crossing her arms expectantly.

 

Knowing her friend wanted a full report, May pretended to be clueless, innocently repeating, ‘so?’

 

‘Where were you?’ Solidad frowned, walking up to place a gentle hand on May’s shoulder, her light blue eyes searching May’s sapphire ones for a reason.

 

With a fake smile, May responded a little too optimistically, ‘I was in the forest, there’s no need to worry.’

 

Hearing this, Dawn arched an eyebrow, knowing perfectly well that there was every need to worry. Next to the brunette, Solidad withdrew her hand, her expression filled with concern.

 

‘What were you doing in the forest alone, hon?’ Harley questioned, his countenance as sceptical as the blue haired beauty’s.

 

Scratching her cheek nervously, May responded, ‘well, I wanted to call a friend, that’s all.’

 

‘Misty?’ Dawn questioned, apparently clued on that May had needed comforting.

 

‘No, it wasn’t Misty,’ May responded, bouncing on the balls of her feet slightly, hoping to at least convince herself that she was ok as Skitty nuzzled deeper into her arms.

 

‘Was it Ash or Brock? Max, perhaps?’ Dawn frowned, listing off people May might seek comfort from.

 

‘No, I’ve known one of them much longer than that. Besides, you adore the other one, and Misty seems to enjoy his company too. Why is beyond me,’ May responded, blushing as she felt Drew’s gaze penetrate her own, even if she tried to avoid his eyes.

 

‘Gary? You spoke to Gary?’ Dawn gasped, clasping her hands together before twirling and rambling about how awesome the Pokémon Researcher was.

 

‘But hon, you hate Gary,’ Harley frowned as May glanced at him, missing the flash of pain that filled Drew’s expression.

 

‘Well, I didn’t call _him_ , did I? He just gatecrashed the conversation!’ May scoffed bitterly, still disliking the auburn haired man’s existence.

 

‘How was Brendan?’ Solidad smiled softly, her expression mildly amused.

 

‘He’s good, though he may be coming for a visit,’ May offered slightly, frowning as Dawn’s expression became elated as she began squealing about the apparent-celebrity visiting them.

 

‘Who’s Gary?’ Drew questioned, his gaze searching May’s and Solidad’s expressions for an answer.

 

‘He’s just someone who won’t leave me alone,’ May glowered bitterly as Solidad chuckled knowingly.

 

‘Do you want me to have a word with him?’ Drew offered, surprising May by the concern and protective tone in his voice.

 

‘No, I’ll have Brendan talk to him, thank you. There’s no need for you to go to any trouble on account of myself,’ May responded, ignoring Dawn’s silent squeal at Drew’s offer. Clearly the bluenette was still shipping May with the emerald eyed man before her, even if she was a fan of the Pokémon Researcher and May had found her crush’s interests lay elsewhere.

 

‘Are you sure?’ Drew questioned, his gaze searching May’s as Harley began to chuckle quite eagerly nearby.

 

‘May, what are you going to do, hon? You’ve got all these boys throwing themselves at your feet and poor Harley can’t even get one! How many boy toys do you possibly want? Most of us would settle for just one, but clearly you and Miss Blue over here are greedy,’ Harley chuckled, enjoying Drew’s heated glare as Solidad smiled.

 

‘I don’t want any boy toys!’ May squeaked, flushing at the older man as he walked ahead, swaying his hips in a sultry manner.

 

‘So, Drew, will you be joining us to Nabiki Beach?’ Solidad asked the chartreuse haired man, ignoring May’s subtle pout at the question.

 

‘I don’t see why not,’ he responded, flicking his hair out of his eyes before sauntering after Harley, as nonchalant as ever.

 

‘Does he have to?’ May whispered, digging her hand into her blue bracelet painfully.

 

‘Yes, he does!’ Dawn hissed angrily before taking May’s arm in her own and rushing after the two men, sending a knowing wink at Solidad, who shook her head in amazement.

 

With a heavy sigh, May decided that the powers that be would have to decide her fate. However, if what happened on her journey with Ash, Brock and Max hadn’t killed her, and she’d survived the Cave of Origin as well as Rockson’s, she couldn’t help but wonder if the strain of Almia would finally get to her.

 

Deciding that there was only one way to find out, May set aside her pain as she nuzzled Skitty’s head with her nose. At least she’d always have her pokémon with her.


	22. Chapter 21

Smiling smugly as he flew on Aerodactyl, a rock type fossil pokémon, which had large, grey, membranous wings, Gary rubbed the reptilian pokémon between the sharp ears on top of its head. Beside him flew Brendan, who’d somehow summoned a Latios to Kanto with what he called an Eon Flute. The wooden flute, which was shaped slightly like an arrow, was something which fascinated the pokémon Researcher, though the Hoenn man didn’t want to broach the topic.

 

Latios, as far as the Kanto man knew, was a legendary with an aerodynamic body which reminded the auburn haired man of a jet plane. His blue and white body was marked by a red triangle on his stomach, and he seemed to be beaming at the oceans below, his character far more chirpy than Gary had ever expected from any legendary.

 

‘So, how did you of all people end up with an eon pokémon?’ Gary called over the wind at the black haired Trainer who rode on the presumably wild pokémon beside him.

 

‘I’d rather not get into details, but I can thank May for it,’ Brendan responded gruffly, his tone unusually clipped. The man, clearly, did not want to discuss the matter, though Gary was too preoccupied by the news to notice this.

 

Hearing his friend mention May's involvement with the eon pokémon, Gary couldn’t help but feel a burst of pride at the brunette he was flying to hopefully meet again. He knew Solidad was there, and once he was finished aiding Brendan’s friend, he’d try to find the pretty brunette and possibly discuss some work options with the older Kanto woman. After all, she may be in another region, but they were still colleagues who, unfortunately, had obligations to their contractors. 

 

When Ash had mentioned travelling with a girl called May, who was not only cheerful, but also relied on dumb luck and was as obsessed with food as Ash himself, Gary had found the personality traits amusing in their similarities. After the group had separated and Ash had contacted Gary, the Researcher hadn’t been able to believe his ears, as the black haired man told him stories of his Hoenn adventures with not just Brock, but May and Max. The names alone struck a chord with Gary, though he couldn’t recall why. Even a few months after last speaking to Ash, he hadn’t been able to focus on anything for days until he’d asked Professor Oak for information about their names, one of which partly included in the name of his sister, Daisy-May.

 

The older man, to his embarrassment, had laughed at his grandson and pinched his cheek, stating in a surprisingly carefree manner that Max and May were the names of Gary’s cousins whose mother had moved away from Kanto to Johto after Gary had been born.

 

Of course, when he’d finally felt up to the task, he’d done a bit of research to find that his aunt, Caroline, had moved from Johto to Hoenn to follow her husband, Norman. After much tribulation and procrastination, he’d decided to travel to Hoenn, an unfamiliar land, in search for his extended family. When he’d reached Petalburg, he’d discovered a carefree brunette who he’d thought, at the time, had been pretending to be the Gym Leader. She looked like a glammed up version of the young girl Ash and his grandfather had described, one who he thought had been an imposter. Upon hearing her say she was the Gym Leader, he’d scoffed and said some things he’d regretted. They hadn’t seen eye to eye since.

 

It concerned him to think that he’d upset her, but he didn’t know how to apologise. After all, he’d never been one to apologise before, not to Ash, Misty or even Leaf. It just wasn’t his style, so he’d never really said those words before, always finding another way to reiterate his apology.

 

‘By the way, the friend we’re saving, has she got a name?’ Gary frowned, knowing that whoever it was, was a woman. Brendan’s Xtransceiver volume was loud enough for him to make out the gender of any who contacted him, if not the words spoken themselves.

 

‘I suppose you’ll find out when we get there. It’s May, that Mankey of a crush of hers has probably done something again. I swear to Groudon that if I see him, he’ll be begging Arceus himself for mercy by the time I’m done with him. That Grimer is nowhere near good enough for May, why she persists in waiting for him of all people is beyond me,’ Brendan glowered, his voice turning more menacing than the Kanto native had ever heard.

 

‘She has a crush?’ Gary frowned, blinking at his friend in disbelief as he saw a Wingull flock fly nearby, calling out a greeting to the two pokémon, who seemed unperturbed, carrying the Trainers to their desired location.

 

‘Yes, and you’d do well to remember that, or I’ll be asking Steven to take you out if I can’t do it myself,’ Brendan snarled as even Latios seemed to glower at the handsome brunet.

 

‘I suppose I’ve missed out on much,’ Gary grimaced, petting his Aeordactyl in the hopes of soothing his own concerns. If her crush made a habit of hurting the young woman, then Gary himself would step in before Brendan or this Steven person could even think about it.

 

‘What do you mean by that?’ Brendan questioned, his ruby eyes boring into Gary’s black.

 

‘So we’re headed to Almia, then?’ Gary frowned in response, hoping to dodge the man’s probing questions. After all, the man was becoming irritating, and Gary’s one tentative link to his extended family was May. He’d tried to contact Max, but the man was proving to be difficult to track down. Ranger duties required that he never stay in one spot for long, and his movements were always sporadic. Besides, he never liked to leave a message with an Operator, not trusting them to express the delicate nature of his concerns without spoiling something.

 

Considering Max’s unpredictable motions, his thoughts flew to Leaf, the brunette who’d captured his attention after years of separation. She, too, had always been unable to track, training in Kanto one day, and then moving across to Johto without even advising her family. Now at least he had Misty to give him some clues as to her whereabouts, although the redhead didn’t give many. It seemed no one wanted to keep Gary Oak in the loop as to their whereabouts.

 

‘Where else do you think May is, Sinnoh?’ Brendan scowled, a clear indication that he didn’t believe Gary’s innocence.

 

‘What’s our ETA?’ Gary frowned as his gaze focused on a small island before them. Brendan’s unwarranted anger was annoying the older man, though he was trying his best not to lose his cool. Tracy had taught him the value of patience, and he tried his best to practice the lessons he’d learnt.

 

‘If you stop yapping, I’ll let you know,’ Brendan glowered back, pushing Gary’s anger to its limits.

 

‘Brendan, I’m sorry if I pissed you off, all right? The thing is, I may act like an arsehole, I may look like a womaniser and yes, I might not be the brightest Chinchou in the sea when it comes to delicate situations, but I do care about May, all right? Give me a break, stop acting like a woman and let me help you to help her!’ Gary snarled, finally submitting to his rage. He didn’t appreciate being messed around like he was by his companion.

 

‘Well why are you even coming? If you know her as well as I do, then you’d know she doesn’t want you there!’ Brendan snapped back in response, turning his Latios to face Gary’s Aerodactyl.

 

‘Because she’s my family!’ Gary roared, his gaze darkening as he watched the red eyed man open and close his mouth in shock.

 

‘She’s _what_?’ Brendan yelped, acting as though he was burned by a fire blast and almost causing the Latios to drop him.

 

‘Yes, Brendan, she and Max, are my cousins. I wasn’t visiting Hoenn simply to research the myths of Kyogre and Groudon, as fascinating as they are, and as fascinating as that disaster was! I was actually trying to meet the son and daughter of Caroline, my aunt who moved away from Kanto to be with the supposed love of her life! She’s all that me and Daisy-May have other than gramps, and I want to reconnect him with his other grandkids before it’s too late,’ Gary retorted, his expression more furious than his companion had ever seen, Aerodactyl growling in irritation beneath him.

 

Heaving, Gary continued, ‘she doesn’t even know that I'm her cousin and that I exist. I screwed up my first ever encounter with her and she won’t give me a break about it. Plus, she knows Ash, so I can’t even talk to my best friend about this to get his advice. If she knows Ash, she’ll know Misty, and it just keeps getting worse from here. Now, living in Hoenn, I thought she’d know you, and I was right. Every single person I talk to seems to know her and it just makes this giant mess worse!

 

‘Brendan, she doesn’t even remember that Professor Oak is her grandfather! Gramps met her and Max, and they didn’t even recognise him! I’m not just doing this so I can finally have some family outside of gramps. I’m doing this so he can be reunited with one of his daughters, because my mum isn’t going to come flying back to Kanto on a Lugia or Ho-Oh any time soon! Moltres, Articuno and Zapdos help me if it doesn’t benefit my sister too.’ Gary heaved as he stared at the man in anger.

 

‘Wow, you’re serious. You, Daisy, May and Max are all related?’ Brendan whispered, the blood draining from his face as Latios let out a small noise of distress.

 

‘Yes!’ Gary cried in exasperation, lifting his hands in the air in frustration.

‘Well, do you want me to tell her?’ Brendan questioned, his tone bewildered as his ruby eyes flickered around them at the pristine blue sky.

 

‘No, I want to be the one to tell her,’ Gary muttered, his childish pride resurfacing. After all, he may have matured from all the times he'd berated Ash and had Misty mock him in return, but he wasn't going to change completely. His pride and arrogant confidence were one of his biggest sins, but he made it work for him, calculating every flaw within his strategies to make sure his plans works. He may be proud, but he wasn't a fool. 

 

‘Well all right, but now I feel a whole lot better knowing I don’t need to keep an eye on you,’ Brendan laughed, causing his companion to send him a dark glower at his sudden and obvious elation.

 

‘Man, that’s the funniest thing I’ve heard in a while! Why haven’t you just spoken to Max?’ Brendan continued to chuckle as they returned to their journey to Almia.

 

‘Because I can’t get a hold of the little Poochyena!’ Gary growled as he followed Latios’ tail, doing his best not to grind his teeth in irritation.

 

‘Do you want his number? I think it might make your plight a little easier,’ Brendan called from the front, his tone filled with amusement.

 

‘Would you mind?’ Gary called back, his pride wounded, not just by his friend’s amusement, but also about having to ask the man for help.

 

‘It’s yours. We’re calling him as soon as we set foot in Almia,’ Brendan’s laugh could be heard over the wind, reiterating once again that Gary had failed to resolve this simple task on his own. It did nothing to boost his suddenly deflated confidence.

 

‘What if he doesn’t believe me?’ Gary whispered, his nerves finally getting the better of him.

 

‘Did you say something?’ Brendan’s voice called, carried by the wind.

 

Gary hesitated once before repeating his question. To his surprise, Brendan stopped Latios in his movements to stare at the brunet, his expression unusually serious.

 

‘If he doesn’t believe you, he can ask otherwise your grandpa, or his mother. Besides, suddenly Daisy-May’s name makes all the more sense to me,’ Brendan smiled, his voice returning to its usual manner.

 

Hearing this reassurance from his friend, Gary couldn’t help but grin. He was finally going to make contact with Max, and he couldn’t wait.


End file.
